Global Women in PR (GWPR) Australia has appointed its inaugural advisory board to provide strategic guidance and support for its mission to connect, champion and support women in senior PR and communication roles.
The board consists of Ogilvy’s CEO Richard Brett, Orizontas & Rethink Everything’s co-founder and partner Vanessa Liell, APCO’s senior director and chief client officer Ian Rumsby, Foodbank Australia’s CEO Kylea Tink and WhitlamCO’s CEO and principal consultant Anna Whitlam.
GWPR advisory board chair Vanessa Liell said the board will strengthen the organisation’s ability to drive this momentum.
“We warmly welcome our Advisory Board – a diverse group of influential women and men whose collective influence, experience and willingness to sponsor change ensures GWPR’s work is supported by the full strength of our industry. Their involvement will deepen GWPR’s advocacy, expand it reach and help create more pathways for women to lead and thrive in the Australian PR industry,” Liell said.
GWPR is a not‑for‑profit membership organisation founded to connect, champion and support women in senior PR and communication roles. As a CPRA Special Interest Group, membership is free for all CPRA members, but open to all.
Launched in late 2023 as a Special Interest Group of Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA), GWPR Australia aims to unite senior women from agencies, corporates, independents, government and academia, and inviting allies across the profession to help accelerate women’s progression into leadership.
The global PR industry is two‑thirds female, yet men hold a majority of board seats. The Seventh GWPR Annual Index (2025) underscores barriers including childcare and caring responsibilities (88 per cent), lack of flexible work (76 per cent), increased harassment (Australian respondents reporting psychological 56 per cent, power 56 per cent, personal 44 per cent), and the leadership impact of career breaks (37 per cent took a break; most common reasons childcare 39 per cent and stress/mental health 35 per cent).
Ogilvy’s Brett has over 25 years’ experience of marketing communications, brand strategy and communications agency leadership. His passions including using public relations and social media to lead integrated campaigns, outcome-based measurement and using new technology to drive innovative creativity for brands.
He is president of Ogilvy PR Asia Pacific, as well as CEO for Ogilvy PR ANZ and Ogilvy Health Australia, leading a team across 14 markets to deliver consumer PR, public affairs, influencer marketing, sustainability, corporate, B2B, investor relations and healthcare.
Liell is a founder, non-executive director and strategic communications professional with over 25 years’ experience in corporate affairs, agency leadership and entrepreneurship.
In 2022, she co-founded corporate advisory firm Orizontas that works with CEOs and boards to solve business challenges. In 2023, she co-founded creative venture Rethink Everything with CCO Mike Spirkovski. In 2025, Orizontas was awarded the inaugural Corporate PR Agency of the Year at the B&T Awards.
Liell is the winner of B&T’s Women in Media PR Leader and Glass Ceiling Awards.
Rumsby is chief client officer at APCO and leads the firm’s Australian operations. He advises public and private sector clients, helping them navigate complex engagement assignments across Asia Pacific markets.
He advises clients on high stakes issues within the energy transition space and leads a team of sector experts on related issues. Elsewhere, he works extensively on healthcare issues, working with leading pharmaceutical companies as they manage shifts in geocommercial and geopolitical conditions.
With over 35 years’ experience across public policy, commercial, government and not-for-profit sectors, Kylea Tink is the chief executive officer of Foodbank Australia. Guided by a mission to end food insecurity, Kylea works within a federated network to partner with growers, manufacturers, retailers and the charity sector to deliver food and groceries to those in need.
Prior to this role, as the first female Federal Independent MP for North Sydney, Kylea championed policies on climate action, integrity, gender equality and human rights. She brings expertise in culture change, facilitation and public policy, with a focus on collaboration that driving meaningful social impact.
As founder and CEO of WhitlamCo., Whitlam advises boards, chairs and senior executives navigating complexity, transformation and moments of consequence. She founded WhitlamCo. in 2023, building on a track record as an entrepreneur and adviser. In 2010, she established AWPeople, a firm dedicated to disciplines influencing corporate reputation. After more than a decade of growth under her leadership, AWPeople was acquired in 2021 by Teneo, the global CEO advisory firm.
