Thrive PR has expanded again, opening a Perth office and making senior hires in Queensland, which it claims makes it Australia’s largest and most geographically dispersed independent communications agency. Jodie Carlson bounces back to Thrive as its Perth-based, Senior Account Director with Alana Sheridan supporting Carlson as PR assistant. In Queensland, Miette Lelievre has returned from maternity leave into the Group Account Director role, while Paige Bradford, Erika Rutledge and Kate Cullen have also joined Thrive’s Brisbane team. Thrive MD Leilani Abels said the new Perth office is Thrive’s sixth location, opening up even more opportunities for staff and clients across the network. “Thrive is uniquely positioned to offer its people the opportunity to do their career-best work on exciting local and global brands investing in innovation and technology,” said Abels. Carlson’s return to Thrive to lead the new Perth office, comes after spending two year in an in-house r

Communications Agency, iD collective has promoted Natalie Liebmann as General manager. With 12 years of experience as PR manager in various concerns and a 6 year with iD collective, Liebmann has led the team across PR, marketing, events, influencer campaigns and more. Liebmann will work closely with Sarah Young, managing director of iD Collective and the team to improve and evolve further the clients and the company. “Stepping into the General Manager role for iD Collective Sydney is a professional milestone that I’m extremely excited about,” Leibmann said. “It’s rewarding to see and be a part of the Sydney office’s success and growth. In this new role, I’m looking forward to growing the team even further, along with the expansion of our agency offering and Sydney’s client base”. MD Sarah Young said that Leibmann had been “an extremely integral part of the iD family, successfully leading and mentoring the Sydney team for a number of years”. “Natalie’s ex

Communications agency Red Havas has signed on with hospitality company me&u to manage international communications across consumer, trade and brand building. Red Havas will be responsible for handling PR services and media relations across B2B and B2C in Australia, the UK and USA. The hospitality company produces technology that allows customer to order from their table at restaurants and cafes, with newly appointed me&u CEO Katrina Barry saying it’s an exciting time for the company. “We have experienced significant growth with me&u’s team having doubled over the last year alone. We’ve expanded our presence across global markets, tripled usage amongst consumers and are partnering with the largest and best hospitality groups with over 80% market share of Australia’s top pub groups to improve guest experiences and help them operate smarter,” Barry said. “Red Havas is an impressive team, an agency with a global footprint and experience in both the corporate a

Brooke Cashell has been appointed as ARN’s head of PR and communications after long-time PR agency partner The Comms Department opted to end their agreement. Cashell boasts 25 years of industry experience, with 17 of those years spent at Foxtel working across head of publicity, Lifestyle publicity manager and senior publicist for the Olympics unit. Her appointment comes after The Comms Department decided to focus on the development of a new part of its business and withdrew from ARN after nearly a decade of business. Cashell will be joined by an in-house PR coordinator while also being supported by new agency Mango Communications. ARN chief strategy and connections officer Lauren Joyce thanked The Comms Department and welcomed Cashell. “ARN has been in very safe hands with The Comms Department for nearly a decade. While we’re sad to see them go, we want to thank the whole team for all the incredible work they have delivered over the years.  “I am excited to welcome Brook

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health has appointed One Green bean as its content agency, replacing DDB Group. One Green Bean will handle all of Johnson & Johnson’s skin, health and hair brands after the company’s relationship with creative agency DDB Group ended earlier this year. The media agency will currently only handle content creation, social and community management with Johnson & Johnson not currently utilising a local creative agency. Johnson & Johnson’s senior marketing director ANZ, Tami Cunningham also appears to have had her responsibilities widened with the title, head of strategic support, APAC, being added to her LinkedIn account. Cunningham has been with the consumer health manufacturer since the end of 2019 having recently worked for Blackmores and PepsiCo

Wings PR has partnered with American events company Code Four to bring the Pacific Airshow to the Gold Coast in 2023. Launched today, the Pacific Airshow which is usually held in California, will also host a sister show on the Gold Coast in August 2023. Wings PR founder and managing director Deanna Nott is also a Wing Commander in the RAAF and said she is looking forward to Australia hosting such a prestigious airshow. “This event will turn Surfers Paradise beach into Australia’s biggest stage. Forget what you think you know about airshows. This will be a heart-thumping experience like no other all wrapped in a glittering party atmosphere, with fabulous food, music and a whole lot of fun for locals and visitors. “Wings PR is thrilled to be working with Code Four, all levels of Government as well as community and business stakeholders, to build a spectacular event that showcases my home, Queensland’s Gold Coast, as an international playground. It is rare to have the opportun

Mike Wilson, former chairman of Havas Media, has joined BeingIconic as non-executive director and strategic advisor. Wilson stepped down from his Havas position in August last year, taking on focused board roles. BeingIconic partner and chief innovation officer Ian Bell said he was excited to work with the industry expert. “Mike is both the perfect fit for us and our clients. He has a long history of founding, scaling, and acquiring media and creative businesses, and is an expert in industries that are critical to enabling our next stage of growth,” said Bell. Wilson is heavily experienced in the media, having cofounded Naked Communications in 2004, launching Havas Media in 2013 before being appointed chair in 2019. He says he is looking forward to getting involved with the investment community. “Getting involved in the investment community is something I’m thoroughly enjoying, and I’m seeing a lot of opportunities. The world is moving very fast post COVID-19, particula