Event wrap up: In discussion with David Swan

Angela Plucinski has been promoted to Senior Communications Manager at Independence Australia. She takes on the role at the parent company of Possibility Group, where she was most recently Communications Lead.

Prior to that, Angela spent most of her career in the non-profit and public sectors, including roles with state and local government departments, and Victoria Police. 

Strategic advisory firm, Hanbury Strategy, has expanded its team in Sydney with three new hires.

Annabel Clunies-Ross has started as Director. She brings experience across government, industry, and national campaigns, including senior roles to Federal Coalition ministers across the economic, energy, and industry portfolios.

Georgia Lowden has been appointed as Account Manager. She's previously worked across both state and federal government, most recently as Senior Media Adviser to a member of the Australian Senate.

Lucia Bloom has taken up the role of Account Executive, bringing experience in strategic communications and government affairs.

The new appointments will work alongside Hanbury’s ANZ Office lead, Owen Torpy. Together they will support clients on navigating the political, regulatory, and media landscape in Australia and New Zealand. 

Positive change agency, Think HQ, has been appointed by the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing to deliver a nationwide community engagement roadshow to increase participation in Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).

The account was awarded following a competitive tender process, with Think HQ tasked with developing and executing national engagement activities. The agency will oversee the strategic design and rollout of experiential activations, partnership activations, community events, communications assets, and social content, alongside promotion across paid, owned, and earned channels.

In addition to the community engagement remit, Think HQ has also been appointed as the creative agency for the NBCSP promotion campaign, while the agency's multicultural division, CultureVerse, has been named multicultural specialist agency as part of a broader agency village led by Cancer Council Australia in partnership with the Australian Government.

Jen Sharpe, Founder and Managing Director of Think HQ, said: "We're incredibly proud to be partnering with the Australian Government on such an important national initiative. This work reflects our growing reputation as specialists in behaviour change, as well as our ability to deliver fully integrated, culturally informed campaigns in-house.

"Most importantly, it's an opportunity to create meaningful impact, helping more Australians engage with life-saving screening in ways that feel relevant and accessible."