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“We don’t rise to the plan. We fall back on experience — and that’s where the real gap is.”
Dr Carl Gibson’s career is nothing short of extraordinary — a journey that spans science, national security, aviation, government strategy, academia, and frontline emergency response.
In this episode, Carl takes us from his early beginnings in the north of England, through military service as an army officer and time spent in policing, before pursuing a PhD in neuropathology. His scientific career led him to Australia, where he headed a disease investigation and research unit, working on complex outbreaks including insect-borne viruses, a mass blindness event in kangaroos, and a large-scale marine die-off affecting pilchards. His work brought him into collaboration with global organisations including the Centers for Disease Control and the Institut Pasteur, and into direct briefings with government ministers and senior leadership.
From there, Carl transitioned into government, taking on a senior role in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, leading strategy, planning, and contributing to national security efforts at a state level. He then moved into the aviation sector, holding an executive position with Australia’s second-largest airline, where he led risk management, crisis management, emergency management, and business continuity.
His career continued into regulatory leadership as a senior executive within a health and safety regulator, before moving into higher education as Deputy Chief Operating Officer at a major university, where he spent over a decade in senior leadership roles. Today, Carl operates as a consultant, bringing together decades of cross-sector expertise.
Alongside this remarkable professional journey, Carl has spent over 35 years as an active volunteer firefighter with the Country Fire Authority in Australia. Rising to the role of lieutenant and training officer, he has led teams on the frontline of some of the most dangerous bushfire environments in the world, including serving as an incident controller. Firefighting is not just his role, but a family commitment — his wife serves as a brigade captain, and all three of his children have followed the same path into emergency service and healthcare professions.
This episode is not just a story of roles and titles — it is a masterclass in lived experience. Carl shares powerful insights on risk, resilience, climate variability, leadership under pressure, and the reality of decision-making when theory gives way to real-world consequences.
From laboratories to government cabinets, from airline crisis rooms to burning fire lines, Carl Gibson’s story is a reminder that true expertise is built not in isolation — but in action, over time, and often under pressure.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-carl-a-gibson-2a26882/
Security Circle ⭕️ is an IFPOD production for IFPO the International Foundation of Protection Officers
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