KKR expands APAC communications team with Jinal Parekh hire

The Public Relations and Communications Association of Malaysia will host a fireside chat on 19 June 2026, titled “Mandatory, Voluntary or Not Needed at All? Rethinking Accreditation and Professional Standards for Malaysia’s PR Industry.”

The event aims to facilitate discussions among practitioners, academics, policymakers, and industry stakeholders on the role and future of accreditation in Malaysia’s public relations industry.

Visit here to register. 

Melia Rayner has been named Communications Manager at Halter. She was previously at ANZ venture capital fund, Blackbird, for nearly six years, most recently as Head of Communications. Prior to this, Melia worked agency-side at Character + Distinction.  

HAVAS Red and First Nations advocate, Mundanara Bayles, have launched HAVAS Blak, a communications offering designed to reshape Australia’s Indigenous communications landscape. 

HAVAS Blak will deliver:

• First Nations-led strategic communications and storytelling. 
• Provide cultural capability training and consultancy services to enable leaders, corporate and government to work more effectively with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, businesses and communities.  
• Media training and leadership visibility to help strengthen First Nations voices. 
• Programs that elevate representation across business, policy and public discourse. 
• Broader consulting to HAVAS Village agencies to accelerate the growth and momentum of the First Nations partnership offer across the wider client ecosystem.  

Commenting on the partnership, James Wright, Group CEO HAVAS ANZ, Global CEO HAVAS Red and Global Chair HAVAS PR Network, said: "HAVAS Blak is about action, not intention. The communications industry has a responsibility to help shape a more inclusive national narrative, and that starts by creating greater space for First Nations voices to lead.

"Partnering with Mundanara ensures this is built on authenticity and focused on impact. Launching during National Reconciliation Week under the theme ‘All In’ is a clear reminder that meaningful progress requires collective and sustained accountability."

Mundanara Bayles, Founder of BlackCard and Co-Founder of HAVAS Blak, said: "This partnership is about shifting power, ensuring First Nations perspectives are embedded, respected and heard at the highest levels. HAVAS Blak creates a platform for culturally grounded storytelling that reflects truth, drives understanding and delivers real outcomes for our communities.

"'All in' means walking together to reinforce Aboriginal self-determination through economic resilience, and that's exactly what this partnership with HAVAS is designed to achieve."