Strategic communications consultancy Shoebridge Knowles Media Group (SKMG) has announced the appointment of Sarah Johnson to the new role of PR Director, effective immediately.
Johnson joins SKMG from Paramount Australia and New Zealand, where she was head of publicity, leading the Publicity team across Channel 10, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount+, 10 Bold, 10 Peach, 10 Shake, and 10 Play. Sarah worked at Paramount/Network 10 for a total of 12 years.
She is also a former publicity manager at Endemol Shine Australia and has worked at Foxtel, Maria Farmer Public Relations and Universal Music Australia.
SKMG Co-Founder and Partner, Neil Shoebridge, said: “Sarah is one of the best in the business and I’m delighted to welcome her to the team. Smart, strategic, enthusiastic and incredibly well-connected, she will be a real asset for our clients and our business.”
The news follows the first period of expansion for SKMG, which began as a partnership between Neil Shoebridge and Andrew Knowles in 2018.
In addition to the creation of Sarah’s role, the past three months have seen the business appoint a new communications consultant and promote Sam Somers to the role of General Manager. Sam joined SKMG from PHD in 2020.
SKMG Co-Founder and Partner, Andrew Knowles, said: “Neil and I established SKMG with the simple goal of developing and using the right messaging to drive real business outcomes for our clients. It’s a strategic mindset from ideation to execution that has allowed us to work with leaders across a breadth of industries, from media and entertainment to sustainable engineering.
“It’s a really exciting prospect to take SKMG into its next chapter, with a team who boast some seriously impressive credentials and add new depth to what we can deliver. The addition of Sarah and her experience in driving consumer-facing campaigns will really supercharge our ability to bring smart, different thinking to our market-leading clients.”
Johnson said: “I am thrilled to be joining SKMG. The rapid growth of clients is fantastic and a testament to the skills and expertise that SKMG delivers. I have worked with Neil and Andrew previously, and now to have the opportunity to work together again is terrific. I am so pleased to be part of the next chapter for the business and contribute to its future success.”
SKMG’s clients include Seven West Media, News Corp Australia, QMS, dss+, Nature, The Influence Group, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), Noshu Foods, Involved Media and others.
