What Outram Advisory does
Outram Advisory works with boards, executive teams and governments that need to make decisions about borders, security, trade and the technology that increasingly joins them together. Engagements are tailored, and most fall into one of four areas.
Strategic advisory
Independent counsel on strategy, risk and governance where national security, economic security and commercial interests meet: border and trade policy, critical infrastructure resilience, supply chain integrity, illicit trade and financial crime, and crisis leadership in complex environments.
Board and advisory roles
Non-executive director and advisory board service for companies operating in regulated, security-sensitive markets — particularly technology, trade, logistics and critical infrastructure — where an understanding of government, regulation and risk is decisive.
Technology in regulated environments
Helping organisations bring advanced capability — AI and data analytics, blockchain intelligence, non-intrusive inspection, digital credentials and federated data architectures — into environments where trust, assurance and public legitimacy matter as much as performance. Translating between what the technology can do and what government needs it to prove.
Speaking, writing and research
Keynotes, panels, published papers and commentary on border modernisation, economic security, supply chain resilience and the future of trade. Recent work includes the ANU National Security College Occasional Paper Beyond the Checkpoint and Modern Border Management: Leveraging AI Systems for Strategic Advantage in the World Customs Journal.
How Michael works
Michael takes on a small number of engagements at a time. He observes the post-separation obligations that apply to former senior Commonwealth officials, manages conflicts of interest across his portfolio transparently, and does not act as a lobbyist. Everything he publishes draws on the public record and his own professional judgement.