We held our final Team WIP for 2017 this week. Each Tuesday morning at 8am Sydney-time, every team member from our four offices video conferences in to share our successes, provide industry insights and to collaborate. This week we stated what we were “Proud, Excited and Nervous” about. I walked away feeling very humbled and grateful for a year that ended with a majority consensus: the team were proud to be ‘Thrivers’, proud of each other for delivering so many great PR campaigns, and proud to represent some of the biggest local and global businesses in both Australia and New Zealand.
It’s been a year of major highlights. Here are just some:
Thrive PR + Communications founder and MD, Leilani Abels
Despite the glut of comms talent in Australia and NZ, Thrive continued to attract and retain some of the highest calibre consultants in both countries. We challenged the trend of agency turnover by taking a flexible and dynamic approach to our work ways. We supported dual careers, sent Thrivers on overseas missions, introduced new hybrid roles to get closer to the inner sanctum of our clients, and we continued to support our working parents with best-in-class paid parental leave and childcare support schemes.
We have more announcements to make for our Brisbane and NZ offices in January. Our recruiting continues into 2018 and we will strengthen our corporate, tech and community consulting teams further with additional appointments.
Thrive welcomed Business Director, Clare Basire, and Digital Director, Mirko Mandic, in 2017 amongst others
Working with leaders who challenge and inspire, is one of the true perks of PR. There are some impressive CEOs that surround Thrive such as Ken Boal at Cisco, Paul Dykzeul at Bauer Media and Allen Lew at Optus and some truly extraordinary women like Suzy Nicoletti and Kara Hinesley at Twitter AU, ASUS boss Portia Chang, and the executives at Coles, ANZ and AGL…the list goes on!
Major Brendan Nottle at the Salvos allowed us to deliver campaigns we are most proud of this year. We are privileged to support his passion for social change. Sport also continued to run through our veins in 2017 and we extended long-standing relationships with two of our first ever clients, John Bertrand, Chairman at Swimming Australia and XBlades MD, Leighton Richards, whom we first worked with at LVMH then Callaway seventeen years ago.
I’m always staggered by the great business minds we have the opportunity to learn and grow with.
The Salvation Army’s Major Brendan Nottle in Canberra for ‘Walk the Walk for the Homeless’
Building our digital and content capabilities further, and nabbing Mirko Mandic from Coca-Cola to lead our digital team, were significant achievements this year. Having led digital departments and worked with big brands like Westfield, CBA and Jim Beam, Mirko was appointed to spearhead the integration of digital services at Thrive. Clients have lapped up this expertise. The inhouse team is now made up of some very creative designers, content producers and contractors including video producers, photographers, illustrators and a strong network of specialist copywriters.
….the list of highlights could go on, but we’ll save more stories until the new year. We’ll be 18 in 2018…can you believe it?!
From the team at Thrive, THANK YOU for your support, generosity, laughter and for making our work damn good fun this year.
Cheers!