Mathew Jones has 14 years experience in media and politics. He worked for five years at the highest levels of state politics as a media advisor and chief of staff to a senior minister in portfolio areas such as transport and roads, infrastructure, and treasury and finance. He has extensive knowledge of working in and with government and the media, and has managed a number of successful campaigns, launches and policy initiatives, including State Budgets and major infrastructure statements. He also has considerable experience in the areas of privatisations, tax policy, state-federal relations, and energy and utilities. Prior to working in politics, Mathew worked as a journalist and public relations specialist in the community sector, providing him with substantial involvement in grass roots campaigns. Mathew’s experience across media, policy and politics allows him to carry forward clients’ objectives through both sound communications strategies and meaningful political engagement.

An experienced political and policy consultant, Sarah has more than a dozen years' experience in leading complex communications campaigns on behalf of government, business and the community. Since joining Parker & Partners in 2002 she has led a number of the company's flagship (and award winning) client accounts including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, WMC Resources and Unisys.

Sarah is particularly experienced in the public policy issues and challenges facing Australian industry, as well as the inextricable link between business operations and the increasing social and environmental considerations driven by community and government. Advocacy and issues management programs of hers include working alongside EDS, BlueScope Steel, the Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia, AMGEN, Cochlear, Virgin Money, Microsoft, Republic Gold, Newcrest Mining and Boral. Her experience in effective stakeholder and community engagement, research and evaluation, and whole-of-program issues management has been keen to these client successes.

A former political adviser to Federal Government, Sarah also spent three years in a senior advocacy role at the State Chamber of Commerce of NSW.

Greg is a specialist in public health policy and administration having worked as a senior executive in the public, private and non-Government health and social policy sectors.

He also has significant experience in international health and development having worked for the World Health Organisation, the Asian Development Bank and World Bank in Central Asia, South East Asia and Western Pacific countries in public health program research, development and evaluation. Greg has qualifications in Public Health, Public Administration and Applied Science.

Greg is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently holds a number of corporate director roles in the health sector, including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, Palliative Care Australia, The Asthma Foundation of the ACT and L2S Communications New Zealand. He also lectures in Health Administration and Health Sciences.

Sam North, former Managing Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald, joins Ogilvy PR in the newly created role of Media Director. He brings more than 30 years of experience across the fields of media and management to the role.

As Media Director, Sam will provide senior counsel on media engagement, crisis and issues management, and lead media training programs.

Sam’s career spanning 30 years and engaging, either as a writer, interviewer or manager, with every Prime Minister from Gough Whitlam to the present will bring a wealth of experience to Ogilvy PR. Prior to his role as Managing Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald, he worked as Chief of Staff during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and represented Fairfax on the Australian Press Council. Before joining Fairfax, he worked as an on-camera reporter for television news.

An industry expert, Ross Clarke is a specialist in bargaining, employee communication and stakeholder relations. He spent two years at the Queensland Bar before moving out of law in 1996 to specialise in delivering strategic employment solutions to employers. Ross established and headed up the Australian Retailers’ Association Enterprise Bargaining Unit and has worked in a number of industrial sectors including retail, wholesale, telecommunications, finance and hospitality for companies such as Telstra, Qantas, Caltex, Cochlear, Franklins Supermarkets, Best & Less, Hilton Hotels and Rydges. In early 2006 Ross was appointed as National Director of Industrial Relations for the Australian Hotels Association, a position he undertakes on a part time basis. Through his role with the AHA Ross sits on the Deputy Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.

Michelle Hindson is an experienced senior corporate affairs executive with a successful track record in stakeholder engagement, reputation enhancement, issues management and transactions across a wide range of industry sectors. Based in Melbourne, Michelle has worked for clients such as GSK, Kraft, BlueScope Steel, IVF Australia and Epworth Hospital. She has worked in-house as General Manager Corporate Affairs for WMC Resources as well as Vodafone Pacific. She has also worked for Australian Consolidated Press.

Sandra is a veteran of 19 years in the NSW Parliament, including 4 years a Parliamentary Secretary and 8 years Minister (1999-2007). Her responsibilities ranged from trade and investment attraction, small business, regional development, tourism, sport and recreation, major venues and major events, gender and diversity issues.

Sandra has extensive industry knowledge, stakeholder management , community engagement, government relations and issues management experience.

Jo is an experienced public affairs practitioner with over 20 years experience in consultancy, government and journalism. In Australia Jo played a unique role in advising the Rudd and Gillard Governments in key strategies, managing complex Senate negotiations across all portfolios. As a consultant Jo has advised domestic and offshore governments and major global corporates on complex strategic communications issues.

In the UK she was a senior strategist for the British Labour Party, managing media, advertising and campaigning across London’s 72 constituencies and assisted the British Government’s foreign aid efforts in Eastern Europe. Jo has worked for the Seven network in the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery in Canberra and as a political journalist in ITN's Westminster Bureau in London.

A respected speaker and university lecturer in political communications and public relations, Jo is an advisor in the digital communications space on social media and government. A leading commentator on politics and work/life balance issues, she co-authored the successful book, The Working Mother’s Survival Guide.

Simon is a strategic communications specialist with over 8 years working in advertising, social marketing and research and as a policy advisor in the Federal Government, the Federal Parliament and an international think-tank.

With particular experience/knowledge in politics and public policy development and communications Simon provides strategic counsel to our clients.

In addition to expertise in government relations and sustainability, Simon leads the Parker & Partners research practice and provides Parker & Partners and our clients with advice on understanding community values and attitudes and using these to advantage.

Current and recent clients include:
· Origin Energy;
· Telstra;
· Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade;
· Ricegrowers Association of Australia; and
· Citrix

Prior to joining Parker & Partners Simon was Business Director at strategic social marketing agency Shannon’s Way. He has also been a Senior Researcher at strategic research agency Auspoll and the Political Director of the Morgan Poll at Roy Morgan Research. Simon has developed and implemented campaigns for clients in State Government, the not-for-profit sector, the financial sector, the union movement and the Australian Labor Party. Simon has been an advisor to the Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and the Shadow Minister for the Environment as well as Senior Policy Advisor in Aboriginal Affairs agencies within the Federal Government.

Simon holds an Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University. Simon is a member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society.

Catherine is a specialist in research, policy making and issues and stakeholder management.

With nine years experience in the government and corporate sectors, Catherine has a strong insight into the machinery of government and corporate practice and is well placed to provide policy, research, communications and strategic issues management advice to a range of clients.

While at Parker & Partners Catherine has worked with a range of clients including St.George, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Origin Energy, Commercial Hospital Operators Australia, Franchise Entertainment Group, Nippon Paper, Bell Shakespeare, CSIRO and Industry & Investment NSW.

Prior to joining Parker & Partners, Catherine spent three years as an adviser in the Howard Government, where she regularly researched policy issues, managed community consultation and communications strategies for high-profile policy changes. Catherine previously held roles in human resources and financial analysis within the corporate and institutional division of a major Australian bank.

Catherine holds degrees in Business and Arts as well as a Master of Arts (Global Media Communication) from The University of Melbourne where she earned first class honours for her thesis on media influence on Australia’s 1999 East Timor policy decisions. She is the Vice-President of the NSW Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and is an associate member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS).

James has extensive experience working in public affairs, communications and research roles with not-for-profit industry associations that represent the Australian minerals and education sectors. He completed a PhD in Politics and International Relations, examining executive tactics in managing the Senate. James also has a BA Communications (Hons) specialising in public relations and journalism. His Honours thesis focused on “grass roots” electorate based political campaigns. He has also worked as a media advisor and staffer for Federal and State politicians. He has also run campaigns at the local Council level.

Peta specialises in government public affairs with over three years experience in the Government sector.

She has worked on major communication campaigns providing strategic communication advice to clients, working with them to develop media relations strategies and in successfully managing events and launches. She focuses beyond on more than just communication, but on building relationships with the people her clients are trying to communicate with.

Event management is one of Peta’s strengths, bringing attention to detail to the process. Throughout her experiences, she has developed strong relationships with a range of contacts and suppliers within the ACT assisting her in achieving results.

Peta has also specialised in the development and communication of key messages including the developing of web and media content. This includes an awareness of current best practice around accessible technology and social media.

Prior to joining Parker and Partners, Peta worked in the Australian Public Service (APS) where she provided a Department with specialised corporate communications advice on positioning itself and its brand within the APS. She is a solid team player who is dedicated to working towards the achievement of results.

Peta has a Bachelor of Communications specialising in Public Relations and Politics and Government at the University of Canberra and is currently working towards a Masters in Organisational Communication at Charles Sturt University.

Lee is a Senior Research Consultant at Ogilvy Illumination and a Senior Consultant at Parker & Partners with four years’ experience in policy analysis, research and social marketing.

Working for a leading British lobbying group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in Beijing, he managed policy and industry research across sectors, including finance, energy, pharmaceuticals, retail and manufacturing. His last major piece of work was a policy brief on low carbon economy in China.

Prior to joining Parker & Partners, Lee assisted in qualitative research projects for two major humanitarian not-for-profits in Sydney, which involved in the design of the discussion guide, conducting in-depth interviews, moderating focus groups and analysing the data.

While at Parker & Partners he has worked on strategic communications and research projects for clients such as CSIRO and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute.

Lee holds a Master of Philosophy (Chinese Studies) from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations) from the University of Kent. His Master’s dissertation analysed the effectiveness of condom social marketing in tackling the spread of HIV/AIDS in China. Lee is fluent in Finnish and speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

An experienced political campaigner and policy consultant, Hannah spent three years working in Federal politics for a Minister and as an adviser to a high profile South Australian Senator. During this time Hannah developed a deep understanding of party politics and its impact on policy outcomes, particularly in the fields of social and environmental policy.

Immediately prior to joining Parker & Partners Hannah held the position of Public Affairs Manager with one of Australia’s leading independent public policy think-tanks.

Having worked in both political and policy driven areas Hannah has a strong understanding of the public policy challenges facing Australia at both a Federal and state level. Effective communication strategies, stakeholder engagement, media and issues management and grass roots campaigning are particular areas of expertise she brings to the Parker & Partners team.

Hannah graduated from Flinders University in South Australia with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in American Studies and Politics.

Prior to joining Parker and Partners, Naomi worked at Media Monitors where she serviced Federal Government clients and Ministerial media teams and participated in media analysis projects. Most recently, she completed a 3 month internship program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. As an intern, she assisted with events, policy and project research for the East Asian Program Director and the media strategy of the annual 2008 Lowy Institute Poll. Naomi brings two years of experience and knowledge in media and political research and analysis.

Naomi graduated from the Australian National University in 2006 with Bachelor degrees in Arts (International Relations) and Asian Studies (Korean). As part of her undergraduate degree, Naomi spent a year in Seoul, South Korea, where she undertook an intensive language program and taught English to school children.

Hamish joins Parker & Partners having successfully completed an internship with the team whilst concluding his studies. Prior to joining Parker & Partners his experience was primarily centred around consumer market research and media analysis. He has already been involved in projects in a variety of portfolios. His current and recent clients include the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nippon Paper and Ford.

Hamish studied a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Sydney, focusing on international trade and marketing. Hamish also participated in an exchange program to Norway and is fluent in Norwegian. He is also continuing his studies in Mandarin.