Thrive PR + Communications announces three senior leadership appointments Thrive PR + Communications has announced three senior leadership appointments across Australia and New Zealand, with Sophie (Ball) Maguire appointed business lead, Thrive Melbourne; Kyra Shakspeare promoted to business lead, Thrive Brisbane; and Lwindi Ellis appointed head of PR, Thrive Aotearoa New Zealand. Maguire will lead the Melbourne office, building on her long association with Thrive. She first joined the agency in 2008 and said the appointment marked a “full-circle moment” as she takes on the opportunity to shape the next chapter of the Melbourne team. Shakspeare has been promoted after a year growing Thrive’s Queensland team, while Ellis will lead the agency’s Auckland-based PR team and focus on expanding its New Zealand offering to Trans-Tasman brands and locally based organisations. Ellis said she was “delighted to be driving” Thrive’s business in Aotearo

PRINZ appoints Leigh Harris and Jill Dryden as committee members PRINZ has appointed Leigh Harris FPRINZ and Jill Dryden FPRINZ as co-opted Committee members, bringing seven decades of combined experience across strategic communications, reputation management, crisis communications and stakeholder engagement.  Dryden will also serve as Chair of the PRINZ College of Fellows, strengthening senior industry representation and governance within the institute. PRINZ Committee Chair Celia Crosbie welcomed the appointments, saying Harris and Dryden would bring extensive experience, sound judgement and a strong commitment to the profession to the institute's governance.  The appointments bolster senior industry expertise on the PRINZ Committee as it continues to support communications professionals across Aotearoa New Zealand. Jessica Glanz steps up at Google Jessica Glanz has taken up the role of public affairs manager at Google’s Government Affairs and Public Po

Amélie Mahieux joins Cymbal Agency Amélie Mahieux has started a new role as social media and content coordinator at Cymbal Agency. She worked across Joy in Movement and Pixelz360 previously. Jack Finucane joins We Communications Jack Finucane has joined We. Communications (Australia) as an account manager, making a move from London to Sydney.  He worked across MHP Group, Woodrow and Penta Group in London. Nina Funnell joins Adhesive Nina Funnell has started a new position as account director at Adhesive.  She worked across Eleven, The Academy and Clareville PR previously. Betsy Brandon joins Dentsu PR Betsy Brandon has joined the consumer PR team at Dentsu Creative PR. She worked across Burson, Elevate Communication and KDPR previously. Sophie Clarke moves to London Sophie Clarke has relocated to London after three and a half years with C7EVEN Communications and Talent Stable in regional Australia. She is now seeking opportunities across ma

PJ Morris joins BlueOcean agency PJ Morris has announced that she has joined BlueOcean as a marketing director. In the role, she will work with B2B businesses to drive strategic, sustainable growth through integrated marketing.  Building trust with B2B buyers, align marketing with sales, and turn strategic clarity into measurable growth.  In her previous experiences, she worked across Fletcher Building, Universal Homes Limited, Sky New Zealand, Triplejump Ltd, CSP Architects, and Sika. Rebecca Sowden joins Publicis Groupe ANZ Publicis Groupe ANZ has appointed former Sky Sport executive Rebecca Sowden as director of sport, partnerships & content in New Zealand.  She will lead Publicis Sport & Entertainment in the market and oversee the strategic and commercial direction of the New Zealand business within Publicis Media Exchange (PMX). Sowden brings experience across sport, media and partnerships, including senior leadership roles at Sky Sport and foundi

Ciara Wylie begins at Herd MSL Ciara Wylie has announced that she has started a new position as an account director at Herd MSL.  She was most recently a senior account manager at Thrive PR.  Wylie was a freelance PR and social media consultant and a senior associate consultant at Teneo in Ireland previously.  Journalist trio launch Nomen Partners Three journalists, Harrison Polites, Melissa Mack and Alexander Liddington-Cox, have launched Nomen Partners, a boutique PR consultancy for technology companies and disruptors.  On LinkedIn, he announced that the agency will operate with a capped client roster, with each client working directly with a partner who manages both the account and media and stakeholder relationships. “We are not just former journalists, we have led disruptive PR agencies, won awards, sat on boards, and led in-house communications,” Polites said.  “We’re committed to practicing in a way that respects and,