Consulting firm Ministry of Culture (MoC) has announced the expansion of its US-based business to Australia with a new office in Sydney.

It is the first international office for the US group, which will focus on providing cultural transformation, consumer insights and culture creation to Australian and Asia-Pacific clients.

MoC’s Australian founder, David Art Wales (pictured above), has relocated back to Sydney after 30 years in New York to head up the venture.

The consultancy will formally open its doors in Australia this month to serve a range of independent clients Down Under.

MoC has established a local advisory board, which includes entrepreneur and award-winning ECD George Betsis, along with former Droga5 CEO and now head of brand strategy at KPMG, Sudeep Gohil.

Wales said the decision to open a Sydney office was driven by the trend in Australia toward conscious capitalism.

“Instead of work being a place that merely extracts a third of an employee’s time, we can make it somewhere that contributes to their lives in a way that makes them more productive. Instead of ads that feel intrusive, we create marketing that contributes something,” he said.

“These are modern solutions with win-win outcomes.

“We field a ton of inquiries from Aussie brands and businesses intent on implementing pro-people policies. You see the same trend in the rise of company positions with the words ‘people’ and ‘culture’ in them.”