Stay ConnectedThrough conversation with industry greats, experts and innovators from around the world, GovComms delivers the latest insights and best practice in government communication. We provide the resources to help you, the government and public sector, communicate policies, services and regulations with impact. A podcast by contentgroup, leaders in government communication.
Watch our episodes in video on contentgroup’s YouTube channel.
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James joined Faster Horses Consulting in 2019 as head of its Social & Government Division after previous social & government research roles with Colmar Brunton, Ipsos & Eureka Strategic Research. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Federal Government sector as both a buyer and a supplier to Government across nearly every portfolio at the Federal level. He is MBA qualified and has been granted Qualified Practicing Researcher (QPR) status.
James has been at the forefront of the evolution of market & social research over his 21-year research career, including pioneering the use of online research communities in government with the Australian Taxation Office, the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the Royal Australian Mint. Just as we’ve moved from paper to phone to online data collection, he sees advancements in artificial intelligence and the effective leveraging of ‘big data’ as rapidly reshaping the industry – not sometime into the future, but right now. He believes the key challenge for researchers lies in retaining their ability to connect with people in order to tell clients the true, evidence-based human story.
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Kym has enjoyed an interesting career, beginning as a print journalist in regional New South Wales after a career advisor suggested she was cynical enough to be in the media.
Her career has taken her around the world and given her entre into some of the highest profile political, public safety and disaster response incidents of her generation.
She started with the Department of Immigration on the day they opened Woomera Detention Centre, and spent the next six-and-a-half years dealing with a rather dynamic work environment.
Kym has since managed a range of impactful campaigns. One of which being the internationally recognised efforts of Queensland Police Services' use of social media as a public information channel in 2010-2011. Kym has always taken an integrated approach to issue and media management, public relations and reputation management, using new and owned media as a crucial and effective plank.
These days she is Director of her own public relations and communications agency: The Fasterhorse Company, where she deals with culture building within government departments, juggling niche clients, and running the occasional marathon or ultra and upsetting Spanish food Twitter for fun.
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Dr Michelle Harrison is the global CEO of Kantar Public and the founding CEO of WPP Government and Public Sector Practice. She is responsible for the effectiveness of Kantar Public’s work around the world, and supports the delivery of major projects. Michelle has worked with government and corporate clients in every continent across all aspects of public policy and public affairs. Her career to date has included time in academia, international development, strategy, marketing and social research. She is a Davos speaker, book author and the founder of the WPP Executive Education Programmes in Public Communications and Behaviour Change. She has also led the establishment of WPP Government Practice Hubs in London, Brussels, Sydney, Beirut, Singapore and Nairobi.
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Nicole has had a passion for communications from a young age. At 13-years old, she developed a taste for the industry through a work experience placement at CLEO magazine.
Since then, she has completed an undergraduate and postgraduate qualification in the field, and worked in a variety of communication roles across government, the private sector and the not-for-profit space. Her previous workplaces have included the New South Wales Government, Soldier On Australia and Dimensional Fund Advisors.
Today, Nicole works as a professional speechwriter. And she is keenly interested in understanding human cognition, because she believes it’s key to writing speeches that can better influence and persuade.
Nicole also believes that in today’s world, with increasingly complex issues, we need some of the smartest people in the country working in communication... because good communication can help shape and change the world.
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Michelle graduated from Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland in 1991 with an honours degree in Sociology and German, before training as a journalist. She then worked for newspapers and magazines (both political and lifestyle) for more than 20 years, in Ireland, Britain and then Australia. Michelle’s most recent position as a journalist was at The Canberra Times, as editor of the Saturday edition’s news review and analysis section.
Michelle later moved into academia, joining the Faculty of Arts & Design at the University of Canberra as a Teaching Fellow in Journalism & Communication in 2011. Here, she educated students on political and strategic communication. She received a Communications doctorate in 2015, for her research into the Australian media's representation of Indigenous opposition to the Northern Territory Emergency Response 2007, also known as the Intervention.
Michelle then worked as a researcher for the University of Canberra’s News & Media Research Centre, specialising in media representation of marginalised groups. Following this, she worked as External Affairs & Media Adviser to Amnesty International Australia.
Her most recent role was as Capacity Building Outreach adviser to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, a small government agency under the Australian Aid umbrella. She now works here with us, at contentgroup, as a Senior Communications Strategist.
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Kerry McCallum is Director of the News & Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra (UC) where she leads a team of researchers to advance public understanding of our changing media environment. Her research in political communication specialises in the relationships between changing media and Australian social policy, particularly in indigenous affairs.
Kerry is a lead professor on the ‘Breaking Silences: Media and the Child Abuse Royal Commission’ project which is the first Australian research document to explore the connection between media and commissions enquiries in the digital era.
Kerry is a major contributor to the field of communication and media studies in Australia and internationally, notably as former President of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA). She is also a member of the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
Kerry has implemented a complex curriculum development and change management process at faculty, university and national levels, notably as UC’s inaugural Academic Director (Dean) of Graduate Research from 2017-19. Her career has been supported and grounded by nearly a decade of professional experience working in federal parliament, political and media advisory roles.
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Brenda is an established communications professional for the U.S public sector. Prior to her role with the Los Angeles County, she held several positions throughout journalism, media, and communications domains.
Brenda graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism). She later worked as a staff reporter and writer for major U.S news and journalism organisations including:
Later in her career, Brenda served as the Senior Associate Editor for MPA Media and went on to become the Head of Communications for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. Brenda has also garnered several prestigious communications awards throughout her career. These include the FOLIO Award for feature writing, the North American ‘Excellence in Communications’ Award, and multiple accolades for her work in public relations and public affairs.
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Shannon Kenna is an experienced communications professional, specialising in strategic communications for the public sector. She joined the Treasury in 2015 to manage a major government advertising campaign and has since managed the delivery of five federal budgets.
As Division Head of Communications and Parliamentary, she manages a broad program of work, including oversight of a full suite of communication functions. These include media relations, social media, stakeholder engagement, corporate communications, speechwriting, graphic design, publications and web management. Shannon is also responsible for all ministerial and parliamentary business for Treasury.
Since beginning her public sector career at the Department of Immigration in 1994, Shannon’s career has included diverse roles in communication and program management. Shannon has also worked in the private sector in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Shannon holds a Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) degree, majoring in Management, from the University of Canberra.
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Olga Stankova is Special Assistant to the Director of the International Monetary Fund's Communications Department. She currently leads technical assistance and conducts research on economic policy communications, and manages outreach on the Fund’s strategy and policy work.
Previously, she was responsible for communications on the World Economic Outlook and the Global Financial Stability Report. Prior to that, she was Senior Press Officer for all of the countries of the Former Soviet Union, along with several countries in Europe and the Middle East. She also worked at the European Central Bank during the global financial crisis. Olga previously served as Director of Marketing with Russian investment bank Troika Dialog and as Chief of the Banking and Investment Division of the United States Agency for International Development in Moscow.
She has recently released her latest work: Frontiers of Economic Policy Communications, which highlights the emerging importance of effective communication to successful policy making and implementation.
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Caroline Fisher is the Assistant Professor in Journalism at the University of Canberra. In 2014, she completed her PhD, which examined the career transition between journalism and parliamentary media advising. Prior to perusing further studies at the university, Caroline was a producer, reporter and presenter for ABC News and Radio National. She has also acted as a ministerial media advisor to Anna Bligh, the former Premier of Queensland.
Caroline is an expert in journalism and political communication. In 2018, she received the Anne Dunn Scholar Award for her research work in communications. She also received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in teaching in 2014 and again in 2017. Caroline is the co-author of the annual Digital News Report-Australia, and has published several peer-reviewed articles on her research into politics, media, trust and communications.
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