A statement from Tom Kliese

A few months ago, I spoke at a business development conference about growing our advocacy group. Comments from that discussion have since been shared online and I understand they have caused concern within the veteran community. I'm genuinely sorry for that.

Listening back, I can see that I spoke in business terms that inadvertently stripped out the human reality of what we actually do at Veterans First every day, which is deliver life-changing support for our veterans. My use of business language to discuss the veteran space was not at all indicative of the deep respect I have for the community.

I also made comments about other advocacy organisations that lacked the respect they deserve. While my remarks were made during a discussion about commercial viability, I recognise the way I expressed myself did not reflect the important work these organisations do for veterans. I regret those comments.

When I spoke about my vision for Veterans First, it was about our impact and how much value we can deliver for veterans and their families. My goal has always been to help as many veterans as possible access the support and entitlements they deserve. 

Over the years we've put real support back into the veteran community through the many events and initiatives we back, and the value we’ve delivered to more than 10,000 clients. This work reflects who we are far more accurately than the conversation at the conference.

This experience has been a reminder that how we speak matters just as much as the work we do. We are reinforcing that expectation across our organisation and will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism, transparency and veteran-centred care.

We know trust is earned through actions, not words. We'll continue listening, learning and demonstrating our commitment through the way we support veterans every day.

To every veteran, family member, colleague and partner who was disappointed by my comments, I'm sorry. Thank you to those who have shared their feedback. I'll learn from this experience and do better.

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Tom Kliese

Veterans First Consulting

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