Partner
For Rory Demetrioff, working in government relations with Leonard Domino & Associates is a career that combines his two life long interests – politics and business.
His business experience colours everything Demetrioff does as he works with our clients. “In business, you don’t go into negotiations thinking the other side owes you a victory. You have to strive for win-win outcomes. That means to be a successful negotiator, you have to be able to see the issues from both standpoints – yours and the people you’re negotiating with.
“But sometimes, when people approach governments, they ignore that basic logic. It’s as though they go into negotiations thinking ‘You work for me. You have to do what I want!’
“That kind of thinking doesn’t work – in business negotiations or when you’re negotiating with governments. If you approach government thinking that way, you’re going to experience a lot of frustration.
“I work with clients to get past the frustration and develop negotiating positions that make it possible – and sometimes even easy – for the government to do what we want them to do.”
During his years in business, Demetrioff was always fascinated by and involved in the political process. He was an active member of constituency associations, helped run campaigns, worked with candidates to build bridges to every part of the community.
“I have a huge respect for the men and women who run for office,” he says. “I’ve seen how much they sacrifice, and I’ve seen how hard they work to build trust and an understanding with their constituents.
“In a very important way, I see what we do – helping our clients’ build bridges to elected people and the others involved in government – as a mirror image of what elected officials do as they try to reach out to their constituents.
“Government is the largest business in our community – the decision making process often involves many people, led by both the senior elected politicians and bureaucrats. If you want to get the government to understand your needs – and work with them to get positive decisions – it is important that you are meeting the right people.”