Specialist social and environmental PR agency Odette & Co has appointed award-winning PR professional Bella Hayes to its growing team, as the Byron Bay-based agency marks 10 years in business.
Hayes joins the agency from Special Group Sydney, bringing experience across culturally-led campaigns and top-tier earned media strategy. She was recognised at the Cannes Young Lions PR competition, taking home Gold in Australia and Silver globally.
The appointment comes as Odette & Co continues to build a national reputation for its work with social enterprises, advocacy organisations, and purpose-driven brands.
Founder Odette Barry said attracting high-calibre talent to a regional agency had traditionally been a challenge, but the nature of their work has shifted that dynamic.
“There’s a long-held assumption that you have to be in a capital city to build a successful PR career, but what we’re seeing is that meaningful work is a powerful drawcard,” Barry said.
“We’ve been incredibly lucky to attract award-winning talent from across Australia who want to apply their skills to work that genuinely contributes to social change.”
Hayes’ appointment reflects a broader evolution within the agency, which has built a niche at the intersection of storytelling and systems change.
“Bella brings a rare mix of experience across social impact campaigns and global brands including Virgin Australia, Uber, PepsiCo, HBO Max, Moët, Tourism New Zealand, Allianz and Maurice Blackburn,” Barry said.
“From behaviour-change campaigns with Petbarn Foundation to national awareness work for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, alongside award-winning Cannes Young Lions submissions addressing social issues, she knows how to turn complex challenges into stories that cut through, which aligns closely with how we approach our work.”
Odette & Co works with a range of clients spanning social enterprise, health, advocacy and corporate impact, including All Things Equal, HoMie, Beacon Laundry, Clean Slate Clinic, With You We Can, Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia, Humans of Purpose, Pink Elephants Support Network, and Westpac Scholars Trust.
The agency’s campaigns often centre on lived experience storytelling, policy influence, and long-term behaviour change, positioning clients as leaders within their sectors.
“We care just as much about the social issues as our clients do,” Barry said.
“We’ve invested heavily in building frameworks that support lived experience, including our ethical storytelling framework, and we work closely with the media industry to raise the standard of how complex stories are told.
That shared commitment is what makes the work meaningful, and ultimately, what attracts people like Bella to join us.”
Now a team of specialist communicators, with HQ based in Byron Bay, and a team dispersed across Australia, Odette & Co has spent the past decade building a reputation for values-led PR, working alongside changemakers tackling issues including homelessness, disability employment, addiction, and gender-based violence.
As the agency enters its next phase of growth, Barry said the focus remained on depth over scale.
“We’re intentionally small, but incredibly proud of the calibre of talent we’ve built and the work we get to represent,” she said.
“Ten years in, we’ve evolved into a change agency that combines the agility of a small team with the capability to deliver campaigns that compete with much larger players.”
