Comms agency Weber Shandwick has announced key promotions within its PR and client leadership team, and introduced an integrated project manager to the fold.
Amelia Thomson and Rishu Sharma will take on the roles of business directors in Australia, amplifying the agency’s consumer, corporate and tech communications creds. The new roles will see the two contributing to the next chapter of the agency’s growth, responsible for holding strong client relationships, producing a high calibre of strategic and ideas-led work, and leading a team that is thriving.
L-R: Rishu Sharma, Amelia Thompson & Matthew Plant
With almost 10 years of consumer PR experience up her sleeve, Thomson will lead some of the agency’s longest-standing relationships with ServiceNow, Pinterest and Ancestry.
With over 16 years of experience delivering integrated communications campaigns across the corporate and tech category, Sharma will lead Moderna and IBM among others.
Both Thomson and Sharma joined Weber Shandwick Australia as account directors towards the end of 2021 and have become guiding forces helping to unlock the potential of the team and business.
Weber Shandwick’s group managing director Vinny Panchal commented: “Amelia and Rishu joined us at a time of transition, and both proved to be experienced, trusted, and steadying forces within the agency. Their dedication and passion for our clients and our people, and the respect they garnered from both, means they’re the right leaders to continue driving our PR business forward.
“We have some enviable brands in our portfolio and I’m confident that with Amelia and Rishu, we can do some industry leading, award-winning work.”
Both Thomson and Sharma will join Vinny Panchal and sit on the local leadership team to oversee Weber Shandwick Australia.
In addition to the promotions, and as a reflection of the changing nature of the work the agency is taking on, Matthew Plant will step away from his role as social media manager into the newly created role of integrated project manager.
Panchal added, “We’re committed to being strategy and ideas-focused for all of our PR clients. That means we need someone in the business who can connect the right disciplines and experts to create the most impactful work possible for the business of our clients. With Matthew’s experience in the world of digital and paid media, his understanding of earned PR, and his collaborative spirit, he is perfect for the role.”
The promotions and the new role reflect a strong year of growth for Weber Shandwick, supported by the agency alliance with Jack Morton. New client wins include Ancestry, Moderna, Unisys and Udemy.
