Burson appoints Gemma Hudson as CEO of Australia and New Zealand Burson has appointed former Johnson & Johnson communications leader Gemma Hudson as CEO of its Australia and New Zealand business, overseeing operations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Hudson joins Burson after serving as director of communications and public affairs at Johnson & Johnson Australia and New Zealand. She will also oversee Burson’s specialist government relations firms, Hawker Britton and Barton Deakin Government Relations. Announcing the appointment, Burson Asia-Pacific CEO HS Chung said Hudson’s client-side experience and sector expertise would support the agency’s growth ambitions in the region.  "Australia and New Zealand are strategically important growth markets for Burson, rich with expertise and scaling potential," said Chung. "We are thrilled to welcome Gemma to lead our AUNZ business as we accelerate our growth ambitions and continue

Heath Aston appointed head of media relations at Woolworths Group Heath Aston has been appointed head of media relations at Woolworths Group, moving from his role as director of communications and media for NSW Special Minister of State John Graham. “It was a privilege to work for a minister whose public profile as an intelligent and principled political leader is only bettered behind the scenes as a caring boss who backed my instincts and judgement every day. The countless laughs along the way helped get me through the daunting workload and media schedule,” Aston wrote. A former political journalist, Aston has more than two decades of experience across media, government and corporate affairs. He previously worked as federal political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald, covered NSW politics for The Sun-Herald, and led media teams at Transport for NSW and Populares. Thom Landers moves in-house after 19 years in agency roles Thom Landers is moving from agenc

Tara Pereira joins Main Sequence as head of communications Tara Pereira has joined deep tech venture capital firm Main Sequence as head of communications after almost eight years at Sling & Stone, where she most recently served as associate director, deep tech & science. “Honestly, this move is the least surprising thing I’ve ever done. I’ve worked alongside Main Sequence for 6 years — now I get to carry the same mission, just from the other side of the table,” she wrote on LinkedIn.  At Sling & Stone, Pereira built the agency’s deep tech practice, led communications for companies across space, quantum, biotech and advanced manufacturing, and advised founders on narrative strategy, media strategy and science communication. Pereira previously held senior PR roles at Sling & Stone, following communications roles at FleishmanHillard, Eleven and Thrive PR + Communications. She has worked with technology, science, food innovati

Honner joins FINN Partners in Australia expansion Global communications firm FINN Partners has acquired Australian financial and corporate communications agency Honner, expanding its Asia Pacific footprint and establishing a presence in Australia. Honner will operate as “Honner, A FINN Partners Company”, with all employees joining FINN.  In her new role, founder Philippa Honner will become managing partner and FINN Financial Services Practice Leader for APAC, help expand FINN’s financial services practice across the Asia Pacific region and work with regional leaders across markets, including Greater China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. FINN said the acquisition reflects Australia’s growing importance in the financial services sector and will support local and global brands across the region.  "Joining forces with FINN gives us an incredible platform to progress our ambitions to be the leading marketing and com

Andrew Bradley joins Unharm as media and public affairs director Andrew Bradley has joined drug law reform organisation Unharm as media and public affairs director after three years with Uniting. Bradley announced he started the new role this week, where he will lead media engagement and public affairs, joining the team led by Chief Executive Will Tregoning.  Before joining Uniting in 2023, he ran Holdfast Communications for more than 11 years. He held communications and advisory roles with the European Climate Foundation, the NSW Greens, Beyond Zero Emissions, Australian Public Affairs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Cancer Institute NSW and the South Australian Government.  He also assumed journalism roles at Three D Radio Adelaide, Onion Magazine and 3D magazine during the initial days of his career.  Jasmine Siljic promoted to PR account manager at UMM Jasmine Siljic has been promoted to PR account manager at UMM after serving as senior PR account e

We. Communications expands APAC advisory leadership We. Communications has strengthened its Asia-Pacific leadership team, welcoming Arif Rajab and Brian Keenan, aimed at expanding its corporate advisory and AI consulting capabilities.  Arif Rajab has joined as managing director, corporate advisors, while Brian Keenan has been promoted to managing director, AI and data advisors. Both will report to APAC president Nitin Mantri and join the agency's APAC leadership and global advisory teams. In his new role, Rajab will lead We.'s corporate advisory team across Singapore and Asia-Pacific, advising clients on reputation, corporate communications and brand strategy. He joins from Weber Shandwick, where he most recently served as general manager, Singapore, following a decade leading integrated communications and corporate advisory programmes across the region.  “I am excited to be joining We. at a time when reputation has become one of the most important drivers

Marlon Perera joins Covidence.org as head of marketing Covidence.org has appointed Marlon Perera as head of marketing following a year-long career break. Perera returns to the industry after taking a planned time away from work to travel with family, describing the experience as "the journey of a lifetime" after fulfilling a long-held ambition to travel the world.  Perera brings more than 18 years of marketing leadership experience. Before his career break, he spent more than seven years at Zendesk, most recently as head of regional marketing for Australia and New Zealand, and previously held senior marketing roles at SMS Management & Technology and Fairfax Media. Shauna Butcher joins Smokeball Australia as head of marketing Smokeball Australia has appointed Shauna Butcher as head of marketing. Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Butcher described the role as an opportunity to take on a new industry and challenge.  She joins from Shippit, where she spent