Surry Hills PR agency Magnum & Co has bolstered its ranks with a number of new specialists, B and T reported today.

Amadou Doumbia comes aboard as a senior earned specialist. He has over ten years of experience, including the co-presidency of the Hong Kong PR Network and a stint as Marriott International’s marketing and communications manager.

James Manning joins the team as a photographer and content creator. His photo experience goes back three years, which includes stints with Qantas, a private school in Tanzania, and World Wildlife Fund’s Australia chapter.

Holly Saich recently finished as TRO’s culture and communications director, and will now join Magnum & CO as senior brand leader.

Jack Rodgers, formerly of EHPLabs, starts as influencer marketing specialist.

Magnum & Co managing director Carl Moggridge said the new appointments come on the heels of fresh client wins such as QSuper and the Australian Blueberry Growers Association.

The national leadership circle at communications agency Haystac has been boosted with internal promotions.

Acting Haystac Brisbane head Kate Ward has moved up to the GM position of the office.

Incumbent Brisbane GM Haylie Marchant, meanwhile, was appointed as the agency’s new national strategy chief. Her new job calls for the development of Haystac’s business offerings and PR practice, often in concert with agency social head Hien Pham and brand planners from BWM Dentsu.

Haystac Melbourne’s PR department head, Nicole Hamilton, is now GM for the entire Melbourne team. She landed the promotion on account of a year-long performance, which included PR work for Bunnings and securing a return engagement with the Moomba Festival.

“It gives me a sense of real pride to know that we have been able to create career opportunities for our senior staff and accommodate the growth of the next generation of leaders in Haystac. Continuity of the senior team and a shared visio

The Sefiani Communications Group has landed the account for specialist lender Pepper Group.

Under the new partnership, Sefiani will design and execute an integrated strategy. Pepper was looking for a PR provider that can deliver on the thought leadership, advocacy, media relations, and digital channels.

Sefiani director Sarah Craig said the new account underlined Pepper’s need to reach out to mortgage brokers, finance institutions, and prospect borrowers.

“We’re very pleased that our search for a PR partner led us to Sefiani, who put forward a senior team with deep experience in the financial services sector. Their understanding of our business and strategy impressed us, along with their strong track record shaping corporate narrative and helping build brands,” added Pepper Group corporate affairs manager Melinda Hofman.

Ogilvy Australia has elevated four managing partners to become managing directors.

The agency announced today that for the Sydney office, Sally Kissane and Michelle Holland are assuming MD positions immediately. Gavin MacMillan and Michael McEwan of Ogilvy’s Melbourne branch were appointed to MD positions as well.

Both pairs have turned in strong performance records for the past three years. They will all report to Ogilvy Australia CEO David Fox.

“Given the scale of both the Sydney and Melbourne offices, it makes sense to have two MDs in each to ensure all elements of the business are being effectively managed, and growth strategies executed. They have already proven how well it can work and we are excited for the future of these offices under their guidance,” said Fox.

Red Agency will head up Football Federation Australia’s PR and social media services for their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup hosting bid.

Mumbrella reported that the new project involves a raft of marketing and communications activities centred around the official bid hashtag #GETONSIDE. The objective is to marshall popular support for the bid.

“We recognise that this is a unique moment to unite a country behind the women’s game, elevate Australian football on the world stage and inspire future generations to be part of it, whether as players or fans,” said Red Agency CEO James Wright.

“We are incredibly proud and honoured to have been selected and to be part of the team to deliver a winning bid.”

The FFA started putting together the bid last year, with the federal and NSW governments coming aboard as partners. The Women’s World Cup is part of the NSW government’s plans to bid for hosting ten World Cups over the next decade.

British agency Fourth Day PR has cemented its foothold on the Southern Hemisphere with a new office in Sydney, called Fourth Day Australia.

Headquartered in Manchester, the agency decided to open a full office in Australia to best represent clients such as British call-centre security software vendor Semafone and taxicab operator Autocab in the local market. The agency also has offices in London, Berlin, Paris, and Casablanca.

Fourth Day Australia will now handle accounts for the entire Australasian region, specifically those in B2B, arts, nonprofit, and industrial services.

Olivia Dodd, who has been with the agency for the past three months, is now the branch’s manager. She sports eight years’ PR/marketing experience, which includes a stint with Manchester agency MC2 Ltd as senior executive as well as an account manager role at Australian agency Recognition.

“Australia is the right next step for us as we’ve seen an increase in demand from clients asking us

PR agency Lewis is preparing a new office in Melbourne.

The new office is one of two branches set up under the current phase of Lewis’ APAC 2020 expansion plan, the other located in Shenzhen, China. Both of them are scheduled to begin operations on November 5, 2018.

For the Melbourne office, Lewis-Sydney GM Steven Reilly will oversee the activation. Activities involving Lewis’ Melbourne-based clients will be made in the branch itself. The agency is also accepting applications for an associate director to manage the office.

“As planned, we’re expanding quickly. With two new offices opening as we complete our first quarter and with almost twenty percent of our planned new hires in place, we're on track to meet our APAC 2020 goals,” said Lewis APAC SVP Emma Jenkins.