WE Communications Appoints New Corporate & Investor Communication Talent

Global integrated communications agency WE Communications (WE) has announced a dramatic expansion to its Australian corporate and investor communication team.

Off the back of strong growth despite the pandemic, WE have added five new members to partner with the agency’s growing list of client wins and transactions in Australia.

Hannah Howlett (pictured above) joins WE as director of investor relations. Howlett joins WE with more than 10 years of experience in investor relations, corporate broking and equity capital markets, specialising in small and micro-cap companies in APAC and EMEA.

Most recently at Media & Capital Partners, she was responsible for leading communications and investor relations strategies for ASX-listed technology and engineering companies. Before moving from the UK to Australia, she worked with Europe’s leading stockbroking and investment firms, including WH Ireland and CLSA London.

In her role at WE, Howlett will lead the 10-strong specialist investor communication team and a portfolio of more than 30 companies across healthcare, technology, infrastructure, telecommunications and clean energy.

She will be responsible for providing senior counsel and support to ASX-listed companies and building the agency’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) service offering.

Based in Sydney, Howlett will report to the managing director of Australia Dan Woods and work closely with Rebecca Wilson, executive vice president of Singapore & Australia.

On her appointment, Howlett said: “It’s a truly thrilling time to join WE and be part of its next phase of growth.

“WE have an impressive reputation in the Australian investor and financial community, and I look forward to working with our team and clients to deliver high growth investor communication strategies.”

Also joining Howlett on WE’s investor communication team are specialists Lauren Nowak, Brian Karlovsky, Evonne Grosso and Ana Luiza Harrop.

Lauren Nowak, SCMP, will serve as director investor and corporate communication, based in Melbourne. Nowak, who also sits on the board of IABC Asia Pacific, returns after two and a half years as Business Director at Red Agency and Thrive, bringing a wealth of experience in strategic communication for local and global brands, working across health, government, FMCG, regulation and financial services.

In her new role, she will oversee the development and implementation of integrated strategic and creative communication strategies for corporate and investor clients while driving growth and profitability for the division and managing team operations.

Brian Karlovsky joins WE as Corporate Communications and Media Consultant in Sydney. Karlovsky, a former journalist and editor across News Corp, IDG and Intermedia, brings extensive experience in media strategy, public relations, crisis management and corporate communications across health, technology, business and politics.

Investor relations and ESG Specialist Evonne Grosso joins WE in Melbourne to work with stakeholders in governance and policy setting, regulatory reporting, verification, education and build strategic capital market support. She’s a Technical Expert Group (TEG) panellist of Responsible Investment Association Australasia’s (RIAA) certification program and passionate about responsible investing.

Finally, Ana Luiza Harrop joins the Corporate and Investor Relations practice as a senior account executive based in Sydney.  Luiza has over seven years of experience working in public relations in Brazil and Australia, working with brands such as TIM Brasil, one of the country’s largest telecom companies, Amazon Web Services, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Sony Music Brasil and LarfargeHolcim.

Dan Woods, said: “Demand for modern and effective investor communication continues to increase, particularly in our high growth sectors.

“The collective experience of Hannah, Lauren, Brian, Evonne and Ana sees us well placed to capitalise on this momentum and deliver best in class, integrated investor and corporate communication strategies for our clients, evolve our offering and introduce new services. I’m very excited to see what this team and the rest of the year brings.”

The appointments follow the expansion of the agency’s client portfolio and several IPOs including Trajan Scientific and Medical and Lumos Diagnostics, and new remits with existing client Pacific Knowledge Systems, Commonwealth Bank, Hexima, Salter Brothers and NGS Super.