Chris Gianatti

Chris Gianatti is a Director with extensive experience in industrial and employment law. He began his career at Corrs before moving in-house to Telstra, where he served as HR Legal Counsel for the “Factory,” overseeing Telstra’s back of house operations including the field workforce. In this role, Chris was a key strategic advisor to Telstra’s Centres of Excellence in Workplace Relations, Talent & Organisational Development, and Remuneration. He also provided significant employment law advice to Payroll, Vendor Management, and Corporate Security teams. Before joining KHQ, Chris was a partner at a national workplace relations firm in Melbourne. His practice encompasses a broad spectrum of industrial and employment matters, including enterprise bargaining, project industrial relations, workplace strategy, major industrial disputes and litigation, corporate performance, policy development, change management, executive contracts, remuneration, restraints, employment litigation such as adverse action, unfair dismissal, bullying, equal employment opportunity issues, occupational health and safety prosecutions, as well as workplace surveillance and privacy matters. Chris regularly represents clients before the Fair Work Commission and in Federal and State courts across Australia. Although based in Melbourne, his work frequently takes him to Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane. His client base is diverse, covering sectors such as resources, infrastructure, construction, banking, manufacturing, transport, media, professional services, and retail. Clients value Chris for his pragmatic, commercially focused advice that is delivered clearly and effectively. His approach emphasises practical, outcomes-driven solutions grounded in insightful and straightforward guidance. Recognised in Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Chambers & Partners, Chris combines partner-level capability with responsiveness and cost-effective service delivery.