Brett Elliott joins MCO as managing director MCO has appointed Brett Elliott as managing director, a newly created role that will help lead the multicultural media company through its next phase of national growth.  He will work alongside founder and chief executive Ronnie Navani, overseeing the company's day-to-day operations while driving commercial growth, industry partnerships and national network expansion. Elliott announced his move after spending the past six months consulting to private equity and other businesses. MCO said he brings more than two decades of senior media leadership experience to the newly created position.  Since launching in 2024, the company has grown to more than 250 digital screens across multicultural retail environments, connecting brands, agencies and government with Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and Arabic communities. Elliott said multicultural audiences are central to Australia's future. "Multicultural Australia is not a ni

Emma Lowde joins Diraq as senior communications manager Emma Lowde has announced that she has started a new position as senior communications manager.  Lowde announced the move on LinkedIn, saying the role offered the opportunity to help tell the story of technology that could "fundamentally change how we tackle some of the world's biggest challenges", including developing new medicines and materials and addressing climate-related problems.  Before joining Diraq, Lowde was senior communications manager at Intuit APAC. She previously assumed communications roles across DDA PR, Haystac, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, DEC PR, eBay and HPX Group before joining Intuit. Carwyn Davies joins Online Projects Carwyn Davies has announced that she has started a new role as social media manager at Online Projects.  In her previous experiences she worked across Dendy Cinemas, Herd MSL, create creme and UTS Society of Communications. Chloe Nielsen steps up at Lumita

FIT Communications appointed Clare Kennedy as associate director FIT Communications has appointed Clare Kennedy as Associate Director to strengthen its strategic communications, crisis preparedness and reputation advisory capabilities.  She joins the team after freelancing as a strategic communications consultant for a year.  Kennedy was previously associated with Australian Retirement Trust, Telstra, the University of Melbourne, and Arnold Bloch Leibler in various communications roles.  The move reflects growing demand for senior-level communications counsel as organisations navigate transformation, regulatory complexity and heightened stakeholder expectations. Isha Chittari joins London Agency Isha Chittari has joined London Agency as a PR account manager.  She was most recently a marketing associate at Gray’s Health and Fitness.  Chittari previously worked at The Australian Derma and Laser Institute as a marketing and PR coordinator. Sophi

Tess Brandenburg joins Atomic 212° as head of client service for Brisbane and Darwin Atomic 212° has appointed Tess Brandenburg as head of client service for Brisbane and Darwin, with the former EssenceMediacom communications planning leader stepping into a broader client leadership role.  She will oversee client service teams across both markets, focusing on agency growth and strengthening client partnerships. Brandenburg said the move was driven by Atomic 212°'s entrepreneurial culture, client-first approach and growth ambitions. She described planning and client service as complementary disciplines, saying strategic planning identifies opportunities while client service builds the trust needed to deliver them. Brandenburg spent more than four years at EssenceMediacom, where she worked in communications planning. She worked across Alpha Digital, UM Worldwide, Reprise Digital and Starcom previously. Dominic Burnham joins Smith & Western as sonic brandin

JOY. strengthens team with four appointments Independent creative agency JOY. has expanded its team with the appointments of Rubi Hudson as client director, Erika Dulay as content director, Alex Tracy as lead project manager and Saoirse Milligan as content coordinator.  In announcing the appointments, JOY. said the four new team members would bring expertise across every stage of the creative process, from shaping strategic direction and managing client relationships to delivering integrated content and overseeing complex projects. Erika Dulay joined JOY. as content and social account director after serving as lead earned thinker at Thinkerbell and previously freelancing in the same role. Her career spans senior agency positions in Australia and the UK, including freelance business director at Eleven PR, account director and account manager at Red Consultancy in London, and senior account manager at Poem in Sydney. Earlier, she spent more than three years at Garmin UK & I

Porter Novelli team walks Eleanor Dickinson at Mumbrella reports Porter Novelli's entire 10-person Sydney team has exited Omnicom following the agency's merger into Fleishmanhillard, with sources citing culture clash. Omnicom's GRACosway has also lost multiple partners amid changes to its equity structure.   Capuano joins Universities Australia Amy Capuano has joined Universities Australia as Head of Strategic Communications, where she will lead the organisation's communications and advocacy strategy. Universities Australia said on LinkedIn, "Universities Australia has appointed Amy Capuano as Head of Strategic Communications, bolstering its leadership team at a pivotal time for the higher education sector. "With extensive experience across journalism, government, public affairs and academia, Capuano will lead the organisation's communications and advocacy strategy as it navigates sector wide reforms." Hello welcomes Griffiths