RED Agency has appointed Sue Cook as the new chief of its healthcare practice.

As reported on Mumbrella, Cook’s appointment comes as the agency is working alongside parent firm Havas to develop client relationships in the health services sector, particularly in medical technology, medicines, and wellness programmes. To this end, Havas Australia promoted Red Agency account manager Rachel Barry to its group account director for healthcare position.

Cook is a seasoned hand in the healthcare communications circuit, having served 24 years at Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ healthcare practice from 1991 to 2015. She started at HKS Australia with a health and pharmaceuticals director job all the way to APAC director and MD. She then moved up to Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ main office in London as MD for healthcare and medical communications. Cook later worked at SenateSHJ and Fine Form Communications.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sue to the team, as she provides the nec

Marcomms conglomerate WPP AUNZ has signed a new partnership with job placement nonprofit CareerSeekers to aid Australia’s humanitarian entrants.

The partnership will have WPP AUNZ organise paid internships to college-level students or mid-career professionals who are covered under law as humanitarian entrants. WPP AUNZ already has one humanitarian entrant on the rolls, an assistant accountant at opr who fled to Australia from Syria a year ago with his siblings. CareerSeekers helped the entrant land a one-year internship with WPP AUNZ and became a regular employee earlier this year.

Seventeen other companies and organisations joined WPP AUNZ in partnering with CareerSeekers as part of the 70th-anniversary commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ signing, thereby establishing the International Human Rights Day every December 10.

WPP AUNZ chief HR and talent officer Elissa Goods-Omozuzi said the new partnership enhances the company’s ethos of provid

Communications conglomerate WPP AUNZ will enter 2019 with a refreshed corporate goal and a logo to match.

WPP AUNZ Executive Director John Steedman said the dotted-letter logo is part of the company’s efforts to offer clients more simplified services with full creative thinking and technology backing them up.

The rebrand came off the heels of new WPP CEO Mark Read’s announcement that the conglomerate as a whole will focus on “creative transformation” to rebuild growth over the next few years, with some agencies closing down as well.

The logo is available in both navy blue (pictured) and white versions. WPP member-agencies Superunion and Landor spearheaded its development.

All WPP AUNZ companies will now carry the new logo on official correspondences.

The Australian arm of accounting software developer Xero has enlisted the services of PR provider Sefiani Communications.

Under the new partnership, Sefiani will handle full-service communications work for Xero as it caters to the Australian market. This includes building awareness for Xero products such as the Small Business Insights industry overview through creative campaigns with business and tech media outlets. Another agency is already assigned for Xero’s global account.

Xero Australia communications director Marina Holmes said Sefiani’s big-picture approach was what Xero needed to aid in its rapid growth.

Crows Nest PR agency Inside Out PR has won representation for three new clients.

Inside Out PR announced two of the clients on its Instagram as popular restaurant search and review website Zomato and skincare company Tan Tootie. InsideOut PR will handle PR work for Zomato’s consumer and trade sections, while the work for Tan Tootie involves engaging key media outlets to build awareness for the brand by sending them a full Tan Tootie self-tanning kit.

The Australian arm of Thai milk tea company Chapayom is the third new client. InsideoutPR’s assignment is to handle PR work for Chapayom’s first Australian outlet in the Sydney CBD.

“It’s been a busy end to the year for the agency and we are looking forward to creating valuable opportunities for our new and existing clients. The wins are a testament to the teams proven media publicity capability, influencer arm and strong client relationships,” said InsideOut founder and director Nicole Reaney.

Marketing communications conglomerate WPP AUNZ has opened a new data analysis department called WPP AUNZ Analytics.

WPP AUNZ chief data scientist Rob Pardini has been appointed as Analytics’ managing partner. He will be in charge of pooling datasets from various sources and studying them to aid clients in making the right business moves.  

WPP AUNZ Consulting, WPP AUNZ’s member agencies, and data partners will assist in Analytics’ workload.

“By connecting the consumer research, digital, media and transactions data at our disposal, we have unparalleled visibility on the purchase decision-making process, and how to get people to open their wallets. This is invaluable for our clients and all the agencies within our group, who can now access this information more easily than ever before,” said Pardini.

Communications agency whiteGREY has hired Katie Firth to assume the position of national managing editor, effective 14 January 2019.

Stationed at whiteGREY’s Melbourne office, Firth will oversee the development of the local operation while coordinating important work with colleagues at the agency’s Sydney branch.

The new position was borne out of the recent exit of whiteGREY Melbourne MD Claudia McInerney, who stepped down for personal reasons.

Firth comes into whiteGREY with 15 years of experience in marketing, PR and advertising. These include account directorships at four agencies and most recently as executive partner with TBWA Melbourne, with her clients comprising two state tourism agencies, a major utility provider, and two foreign automobile brands, among others.