Sport and lifestyle creative agency, Bursty, has announced a raft of senior hires, including the appointment of former Head of Sports Communications at Fox Sports Australia, Matt Hagias, who joined as General Manager of Earned (PR and Social).

Based in Adelaide, Matt will be expanding Bursty's national presence and bolstering its offerings in public relations and social media. He brings more than 15 years' experience working across various sectors of the media industry, most recently overseeing PR moments and reactive talent opportunities at Fox and Kayo. Prior to that, he held a senior leadership role at One Green Bean, responsible for the agency’s social media, influencer, and content divisions.

Bursty has also secured the services of Michaela Berry and Mitch Anderson, who both joined as Senior Account Directors. They will be working across key client accounts, including Puma, TEG, Mitre 10, and Forty Winks.

Michaela has spent more than a decade in sports marketing and communications at the AFL and NRL. She most recently served as Head of Marketing and PR at Melbourne Storm, where she led brand strategy, fan engagement initiatives, and campaigns.

Mitch brings prior experience in brand and sponsorship roles across the AFL and financial services industries. He spent the past six years at NAB, where he delivered a range of brand marketing campaigns.

Bursty's Managing Director, Richie Butterworth, said: "We are really excited to have Matt, Mitch and Michaela join the team at Bursty. Not just because of the incredible experience and skillset they are bringing to our team and clients, but because it marks a pivotal moment in Bursty's short history - to be able to attract this senior level of talent is something we are really proud of, and we can't wait to see what they can create!"

^{(Pictured, from left: Mitch Anderson, Michaela Berry, and Matt Hagias)}

Melbourne-based agency, Flourish PR, has been reappointed as the communications agency for Olivia’s Walk & Run for Wellness, following a national pitch.

The agency had previously worked alongside Austin Health for more than a decade, helping grow the event and raising the profile of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre (ONJ Centre).

Flourish PR's remit includes national and local earned media strategy, campaign storytelling, key partnership management and ambassador / talent management, leveraging its deep history with this community-led initiative.

Founder and Managing Director of Flourish PR, Angela Ceberano, said: "We are delighted to work with the ONJ Centre team again on this very meaningful project.

"Working with this incredible team, Olivia and her family may just be the highlight of my career. This truly is a project that matters. We're committed to continuing Olivia's legacy in a way that would make her proud, raising funds for the programs she championed to help people thrive through cancer."

Tourism Fiji has appointed Havas Red to lead its PR and influencer activities in Australia, following a competitive pitch process.

Havas Red's remit includes creative PR campaigns, media relations, influencers, and brand partnerships that build on Fiji’s platform, 'Where Happiness Comes Naturally'.

It joins sister agencies, Havas Host and Havas Media, in forming the destination’s Australian agency village.

Tourism Fiji's CEO, Brent Hill, said: "Havas Red showed a thoughtful and creative approach to our challenges, which unearthed unexpected stories, and reasons, for Australians to choose Fiji as their next or return travel destination. Their ideas were designed to cut through in culture and the evolving media environment.

"The team at Havas Red have proven capability in helping tourism brands land ideas that truly represent their unique brand positioning, and we’re excited to build those ideas together and continue to show a different side to Fiji."