PR News
Darkhorse

DARKHORSE bolsters its Australian presence

Brand experience and communications agency DARKHORSE has expanded its Australian footprint with the opening of a new Sydney office, alongside new hires and client wins.

Located at 55 Clarence Street in Sydney’s CBD, the agency shares its new space with strategic experience marketing agency, George P. Johnson, both part of the creative alliance Project Worldwide.

Frankie Gair has rejoined DARKHORSE in Sydney as Business Director, bringing over a decade of experience in experiential and brand campaigns. She previously held roles at New Moon Australia and The World Of, leading projects for AFC Australian Fashion Week, Hermès, and ASICS.

Joining her is Senior Producer Isabella Ireland from Studio Messa, who has delivered campaigns for Dior Beauty, American Express, Snapchat, and Vogue.

Recent wins for the Sydney office include Bentley, Sephora, ZEEKR, and Chemist Warehouse, joining a client portfolio that also features Jaguar Land Rover and Pernod Ricard.

DARKHORSE Project CEO Asia Pacific, Ben Taylor, said: "We've been proud to support DARKHORSE as they've evolved from a Kiwi indie to a global player with offices across New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

"It's a combination of client-centricity, smart creativity and white glove polish that makes DARKHORSE truly exceptional and we're thrilled about this next chapter of their growth."

DARKHORSE founder and CEO, Mike Hewitt, added: "We started the year with ambitious growth goals for Australia, and it’s been inspiring to see our team accomplish them.

"There's a real sense that we’re just getting started, and we’re excited for all that’s to come."

Previous story

89 Degrees East welcomes new Head of Content

Next story

Stephanie Richardson steps up in agency land as Director

You might also enjoy

3CPR
Industry update

3CPR launches AI-powered reporting dashboard

Specialist corporate and financial communications consultancy, 3CPR, has launched CLARIO, an AI-powered reporting dashboard.

CLARIO - standing for Clarity and Innovation - was developed in-house by 3CPR’s data scientist. It tracks media coverage outcomes and key programme metrics, allowing clients to access live reporting and download charts, graphs, and data for internal use.

According to the consultancy, unlike broader media monitoring platforms, CLARIO focuses on the work undertaken by 3CPR and the resulting outcomes. It has also enabled the agency to move from half-yearly or annual reporting to an always-on model, reducing the time required to compile reports manually.

3CPR Founding Partner, Paul Cheal, said: “Media outcomes remain a key metric for PR performance, but for too long we have been stuck using tedious, time-consuming spreadsheets and relying on reporting that focuses on hindsight. AI provides a generational opportunity to change our approach - linking our activity to tangible business outcomes and providing real time visibility of strategic opportunities.

“The CLARIO platform offers a near real time view of media outcomes, tailored to each organisation’s goals and KPIs. It provides significant time saving for PR teams and delivers greater transparency to clients.

“We have already received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our clients. In the spirit of lifting our profession as a whole, we are offering a white label version for corporates or agencies who want to revamp how they report on their proactive activities and media campaign outcomes.” 

NAB
Moves

NAB strengthens team with new Associate Director

The National Australia Bank has welcomed Mikkayla Mossop as Associate Director. She has wrapped up five years at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, most recently as General Manager, Media and Corporate Affairs. Prior to this, Mikkayla worked in broadcast journalism at 3AW. 

Ashbury
Moves

Ashbury brings in new Associate Director in Hong Kong

Ashbury in Hong Kong has welcomed Sidney Leng as Associate Director, Advisory. In his new role, he is responsible for strategic communications advisory for the firm’s clients.

Sidney has provided strategic communications and media relations advisory to clients across the financial services, real estate, technology, and legal industries. Prior to joining Ashbury, he was Associate Director of Financial Communications at Burson and has also worked in branding and marketing at FinTech unicorn Micro Connect, and in communications at Huatai International.

Sidney started his career as a journalist covering Chinese political economy and finance for English-language media outlets, including the South China Morning Post, Foreign Policy Magazine and National Public Radio.