Avi Tan begins new role as Senior Manager, Reputation & Corporate Comms

 Sierra Oshrin has joined the team at The PR Group as Senior Client Director and regional Trust & Reputation lead. She brings international strategic communications experience, having previously worked with multinational companies and homegrown startups in Australia, Singapore and the United States. Prior to this, she was a broadcast journalist reporting on general news and politics. 

 Dubai-based communication professional, Riya Vatnani, has been elevated to Head of Communication – Advisor at Cicero & Bernay (C&B). In her new role, Riya leads the advisory’s communication strategy, overseeing brand and reputation management, executive positioning, and media engagement. She also provides strategic counsel to clients and internal leadership on communication, messaging, and stakeholder engagement, while supporting the development of the advisory’s communication teams.

Riya has been with C&B for close to eight years and has worked across a range of client mandates, contributing to strategic communication programmes and media engagement initiatives across multiple sectors. She previously held roles in public relations and client services at hrmny, Prestidge PR, and Insignia Worldwide.

Tariq Al Sharabi, Executive Advisor at Cicero & Bernay, said, "I’ve had the privilege of watching Riya grow into one of the agency’s most thoughtful and capable communication leaders over the years. She brings a rare combination of strategic clarity, creativity and genuine care for the work and the people around her. This role is a natural next step, and I have no doubt she will continue to raise the bar for both our teams and our clients."

Riya said on her appointment, "Stepping into this role is both exciting and humbling. Communication today sits at the intersection of strategy, reputation and culture, and I look forward to continuing to work with our teams and clients to build thoughtful, credible and impactful narratives." 

Storage and data management company, Everpure (formerly Pure Storage), has appointed Lee Nugent as Head of Communications, APJ. Based in Singapore, he oversees strategic communications and public relations efforts across APAC and Japan.

Lee joins from Archetype, where he most recently served as EVP & Regional Director, APAC and spent more than eight years leading regional offices and client strategy.