Meet the Team

A 30-year veteran of influencing audiences to move them to vote, consume and engage. Anthony's finger prints have been all over several high profile victories. A career in politics led Anthony to public affairs and communications where he has worked with Australia's leading businesses, industry sectors, and community organisations to shift the dial around the issues that matter to them. He has worked with large super funds, insurance, health, IT and many more businesses to help them reach their goals.

Has been behind the scenes of many of the last decade's most prominent social
movements. Ed has advised multiple Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, political and business leaders, and social impact movements. He has built impact campaigns for business leaders from Richard Branson to Paul Polman, and for social icons from Malala to Shakira. Ed founded the New York-based Center for Impact Communications and has raised over $150m USD for UN agencies. His work has featured in several museum exhibitions.

Johnny brings two decades of experience across corporates, agency and consultancy across a multitude of industries and categories. Having worked both across local, regional and global roles, he brings extensive experience across marketing, branding, technology adoption, go-to-market strategy and new venture commercialisation.

Johnny has worked for and with some of the worlds largest brands and corporations, helping them to build brands, navigate technology adoption curves and launch innovative products.

Some of the biggest social and political impact campaigns of the last decade have Patrick's pixels all over them. Our product development and digital tools guru, having been at the cutting edge of leveraging digital platforms, data and analytics and insights to move audiences. He has extensive digital campaigning, software development and marketing experience in the government and private sectors in Australia and New Zealand.

With 20 years of PR, media and communications experience, Eleanor has a wealth of knowledge in not-for-profit, agency and government having run everything from major fundraising events like the Pink Test for the McGrath Foundation to a winning election campaign. Eleanor is the doer that makes sure the job gets done, bringing together teams to ensure projects are executed at the highest standard. She thrives on collaboration and teamwork and loves to learn new skills on the job.

Kaylee is the ultimate collaborator, and with her campaigning and organising background, she ensures a smooth roll-out for every project she manages. Her recent experience working for a polling organisation saw her managing relationships that moved at a rapid pace, whilst still ensuring every poll in the field met the gold standard. When she's not fostering client relationships, she's active in the community as a volunteer rural firefighter, P&C enthusiast, and an active member in her local community Progress Association.

Samson is an expert digital marketer who can wrangle any tech stack or platform into a successful and impactful campaign. He brings his decade of experience in programmatic, social, and data-driven campaigns to his drive for values-based innovation. Always pushing the envelope and thinking outside the box, Samson has driven innovative campaigns at WooliesX, Louder, Precise TV and more.

What do you get if you cross a doctor of Political Philosophy with an expert data analyst? You get Saranga. Saranga combines his deep expertise and passion for politics with an ability to wrangle complex data sets into cogent insights that often produce 'a ha' moments for clients. His experience as a university researcher at the elite University of St Andrews and his commercial experience at places like Finder make a formidable combination.

Digital-first marketing strategist with C-suite experience driving measurable commercial growth and customer loyalty. A proven track record of using data-driven insights to develop innovative marketing strategies and campaigns that engage audiences and deliver results fast. 20+ yr B2B/B2C experience gained both agency and client-side, delivering customer-centric, data-driven growth to a diverse range of companies including iconic brands (AOL, NRMA, Visa, Telstra).

Jessica specialises in the intersection between public affairs and consumer-focused healthcare communications. Having worked on everything from neuroscience to medtech, and at agency and client side, Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge to the Populares team. With experience ranging from the BBC to Ogilvy, Jessica is always ready to jump in feet first on a complex issue to provide meaningful client counsel. Jessica's psychology degree has prepared her to think analytically about any issue to identify the perfect solution to a problem.

Phil brings 30+ years of experience in public relations, specialising in public policy campaigning and the finance sector. He has extensive experience across government, civil society, superannuation and the finance industry, plus extensive crisis management experience including three Royal Commissions.

Phil was previously Senior Press Secretary to NSW Deputy Premier, Minister for Transport, Finance and APEC, as well as  the lead managing public relations for IFM Investors, The Sydney Peace Prize Committee, Engineers Australia, The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and many other clients.

Renee is a Cx and behavioural communications expert, having worked with some of Australia's best-known brands including Destination NSW, Tourism Australia and ninemsn, as well across a range of B2C and B2B industries from education, telecommunications, IT, to alcohol, FMCG, government, and consumer healthcare; and politics. With experience across strategic and digital communications, change and transformation and stakeholder engagement, Renee likes to tackle business and stakeholder challenges head-on, and moving audiences by connecting on values.

Isabella brings sharp digital instincts and a deep understanding of how to drive impact across the social media landscape. Highly organised and adept at managing complex workflows, she maintains a high standard of precision across every project. A natural collaborator, Isabella leverages her teamwork skills to ensure every initiative delivers exceptional results. As an avid reader and global observer, she stays ahead of the curve, with knowledge of the latest cultural trends.

Tara is curious about people - what they think, what they feel, and what makes them act. With studies in Commerce, majoring in Marketing and Psychology, she brings a sharp analytical lens and a creative approach to understanding audiences. At Populares, Tara works across content, strategy and process, helping with client engagement and event strategy. Through customer-facing roles and university consulting projects, Tara has developed a practical understanding of how to listen, structure ideas and turn insights into clear, useful work.

Nick has a knack for digital platforms you and I haven't even heard of yet, well ahead of the trends and helping our clients catch up to the curve. He has an eye for detail and a keen marketing instinct, and Nick uses his research and communications skills to seamlessly translate our complex science into the tangible outcomes anyone can access with ease. Nick can often be seen helping project teams build out comprehensive client files, and keeping our Chief Barketing Officer in line.