“If you’re not entirely satisfied with the stories being told about your community, start writing new ones yourself.”

So says Kevin Kapeke [pictured], the newest hire for independent, full-service agency Think HQ. It’s that philosophy – putting our diverse communities at the centre of campaigns, to ensure communications are truly inclusive – that has led to a raft of new hires at the Think HQ Group including its multicultural communications arm CultureVerse.

Kevin signed on this month as CultureVerse Community Engagement Manager. He joins Dr Pauline Ho, who commenced work last month to kick off the Think HQ Group’s new social research arm.
Creative Copywriter Ryan Graf also joined the Think HQ team late last year, consolidating the agency’s end-to-end creative offering.

That trio comes on the heels of an expansive 2020 for the agency, which saw the hiring of 18 new staff. The team now comprises 45 people.

Kevin, who migrated to Australia from Zimbabwe at 12 years old, is passionate about building up multicultural communications to become the norm in advertising and communications, rather than an afterthought. His role will see him strengthening relationships across communities, including facilitation of CultureVerse’s existing Multicultural Advisory Panel, that brings together diverse community representatives to inform campaign activity.

“The key to communicating with diverse communities is to not only tell their stories but also to assist with leadership and strategic advice, allowing for growth within their own space. This is something I’m looking forward to exploring with the Think HQ Group,” Kevin said.

As Kevin brings human insights, Dr Pauline Ho will build the Think HQ Group’s dedicated research function, to ensure targeted communications strategies are underpinned by measurable insights and data.

With experience across a range of research and government clients from education and health – including the Australian Government’s Department of Education and the Victorian Government’s Department of Education – she’s worked alongside researchers from the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, plus partners from TAC and WorkSafe.

Pauline said she was excited to join the team at Think HQ.

“We want to change the world – how do we make it better? We need to embrace the different needs of our communities, and to truly understand them, we need good research. That’s how we shift policy and attitudes,” she said.

Creative Copywriter Ryan Graf brings almost a decade of international experience to Think HQ, saying he was drawn to the business by its commitment to values-based campaigns.

“Working on projects that genuinely make a positive difference can be rare in our industry. Each person in this agency is bringing something unique to the table, making it an exciting place to work,” Ryan said.

Founder and Managing Director of Think HQ, Jen Sharpe, is the current B&T Executive Leader and PRIA Industry Leader of the Year.

“We are fiercely committed to being a creative powerhouse while also embracing inclusion whether it be reflected through our work or via our internal culture and recruitment. We want to lead our peers and clients towards inclusive practices,” Jen said.

“We’re an example that inclusion isn’t just good for people, it’s good for business: In the last year we’ve seen growth in every team, including creative, PR, localisation, strategy and content and of course CultureVerse. In the process we’ve added incredible talent across the board.”