Third Avenue Consulting principal Rochelle Burbury has announced the appointment of Julie Wright as the PR firm’s managing director.
In the newly created managing director role, Wright will work closely with Burbury to lead Third Avenue and provide counsel to clients.
Wright joined Third Avenue as a senior consultant in 2021 and has 20 years of experience in PR and strategic communications in Sydney and London.
Wright spent a decade of her career managing public relations campaigns in paediatric healthcare for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, leading the communications team responsible for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick’s $1.3 billion infrastructure program. She has also worked with Access PR in Sydney and 3 Monkeys in London across clients in the media, entertainment, healthcare, infrastructure and not-for-profit sectors.
Joining Wright in the Third Avenue team is Leigh Fenech, who has been appointed as consultant.
Fenech brings more than 15 years of experience to the business across multiple industries, including e-commerce, digital content management, inventory control, and marketing. Throughout her career, Fenech has held roles at Seafolly, Universal Music Australia, and HOYTS Group.
“It’s been a big couple of years for Third Avenue, recording double-digit revenue growth for three consecutive years; and it’s recognition of the fact that experience, effectiveness and being connected are core to bringing to life successful, specialist public relations programs. We work with a range of clients, from start-ups to large global companies, however, the fundamentals remain the same. It’s about really knowing our clients’ business and the landscape in which they operate, and supporting them to build reputations and achieve business objectives,” said Burbury.
“Jules has grown to become my right-hand person at Third Avenue. She’s the conch to my chaos, she brings process to my pedantry, and she has been a welcome and valuable addition to our clients. Jules’s appointment to the newly-created role of managing director is both a reflection of the growth in our business and also her incredible contribution to our clients, and to me. I could not be more delighted that I’ve finally convinced Jules to take on this new role, boss me around, and take Third Avenue to the next level. About time,” she added.
“Leigh recently joined us as a much-needed account coordinator and has quickly established herself as invaluable for both our team and our clients.
“I am incredibly proud to say Third Avenue is 100 per cent female and we are all working mothers – our firm policy is family first – we help and support each other when required, we all work bloody hard, and have a lot of fun along the way, celebrating in the success our clients achieve,” she added.
“I’m really excited to be stepping into the managing director role at Third Avenue. Rochelle and I have worked together on and off for more than 15 years now and remained good friends in between. We bicker like an old married couple but truly do have a good time working together with our team and our clients. I have always believed you should walk towards the opportunities that excite you and feel good in your gut so I am really looking forward to this next chapter,” said Wright.
Third Avenue launches a refreshed website on Tuesday 5 November.
Both appointments are effective from 1 January 2025.
