NEW STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANCY LAUNCHED

Experienced practitioners Michelle Boag, Cedric Allan and Andrew Pirie have launched a strategic communications consultancy designed to meet evolving client needs in today’s business environment.

Director Michelle Boag says that at a senior level, client demand for communications and lobbying skills is increasingly focussed on achieving specific outcomes aligned to strategic business initiatives.

“In a small country like New Zealand, it is essential to have a keen knowledge of the influences that impact on business and organisations - whether they be central or local government, media or public and interest groups.  The extensive networks of the three principals of Boag Allan Pirie and their combined expertise of over a century in the public affairs and communications industry means we are well placed to assist companies and organisations with their critical business issues,” she said.

“Frequently, no single discipline can deliver the outcome a client seeks – rather it is a matter of defining a coherent overarching strategy and having it executed by a team of handpicked specialists, working at the most senior levels.  At Boag Allan Pirie we will work collaboratively with specialists in the legal, financial, environmental, iwi and community engagement sectors when the client’s best interests dictate that this approach is appropriate,” she said.

The new firm – Boag Allan Pirie Ltd - is already working on a number of assignments.

 “Our intention is not to build an agency ‘factory’ where more junior people need to be continually supplied with work,” Boag says. “We have deliberately chosen an operating model for which there is clear market demand, where clients will benefit from close interaction with the senior principals, and where we will hand-pick other consultants and specialists to work with us on particular assignments and contribute their particular skills. In doing so, we will be open to working collaboratively with others in the communications field.”

A former National Party president and public relations recruitment specialist, Boag ‘s most recent role was Executive Director of one of New Zealand’s largest advertising agencies, Ogilvy.  She is also a previous manager of public relations consultancies Hill and Knowlton and Consultus. 

Allan, a former national president of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand, has built a number of New Zealand’s largest PR consultancies and has extensive experience in property, infrastructure and local government, as well as issues and reputation management.

Pirie, who returned to New Zealand four years ago after more than a decade overseas as Asia Pacific head for Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s biggest PR firms, has a strong background in financial communications and issues management. His Asian experience is also highly relevant as New Zealand’s business links with Asian growth economies continue to strengthen.

Boag Allan Pirie Ltd:   09 3651546, Level 1, 20 Beaumont Street, Auckland Central

Michelle Boag:  021940884;  michelle@boagallanpirie.co.nz

Cedric Allan:  021928038;  cedric@boagallanpirie.co.nz

Andrew Pirie:  02102537357;  andrew@boagallanpirie.co.nz

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, want a real change and have some financial services experience in your career, then recruiter and former PR practitioner Margo Tait, now based in Hong Kong for Inspire Search and Selection, has some great communications opportunities in Hong Kong and Singapore.  Email margo.tait@inspirerecruit.com.  She'll be happy to have a discussion with you about what its like to work in the East.  Many have done it and some are still there!

The planets must be in alignment in the world of broadcasting, with Mediaworks,  TVNZ, and now we hear The Radio Network all looking for Heads of Corporate Affairs.  Mediaworks have been looking for some time after Marketing and Communications Director Roger Beaumont announced his decision to seek new horizons after 10 years with TV3 and its parent company (rumoured to be heading back to work with former colleague Barbara Chapman, now returned from Australia as CEO of the institution where she made her mark as Marketing Director. Now TVNZ's Head of COrporate Affairs, Peter Parussini, is off to another bank - ANZ, who are shifting their corporate affairs function from Wellington to Auckland.  Parussini is due to take up his new position in July.

Shand is close-lipped about his next step, but he is unlikely to be hanging out a shingle to compete with his former colleagues, despite the lack of golden handcuffs.   With his shareholding in BBG passing to what the PR firm describes as "a new generation of management", Shand is now free to pursue whatever new opportunities present themselves.   With some personal challenges in recent years now behind him, he is said to be looking forward to his new-found freedom and is unlikely to be making any substantive decisions until he has had a chance to relax and enjoy being a free agent for a while.  Enjoy the rest Greg - you deserve it.

To make it easier for you, here are the directions:

Head north on the Northern Motorway, take the Upper Harbour Highway exit but turn right onto Constellation Drive, then take the 5th road on the left (Apollo Drive), then right into Antares.  See you there.

Our thoughts are with Paul's wife Jill, herself a highly respected PR practitioner and partner in STAR PR, and their son James, of whom Paul was immensely proud.   Thank you Paul for your work - our industry is much the richer for your stalwart efforts and commitment over a sustained period.  Your legacy honours you and your family.

I've been fortunate to land at a time when there are a large number of pitches in process which give great insight to the creative process.   In Public Relations land, where you do everything from taking the brief through to creative, strategic planning, delivery and evaluation, it's interesting to see the huge effort and resource that is tied up in the agency pitch process.  But with a staff of well over 200 shared between Auckland and Wellington, the big machine has to keep on delivering - and it does.   Great fun to observe but even more fun as a participant!

In the meantime, all those folks looking for PR and Communications jobs, just get in touch with paulacross@momentum.co.nz and she will look after you.  Paula's mobile is 021-620365.

As reported previously, Momentum has been looking for someone to assist Michelle with PR recruitment and that has now happened with ex Westpac and Barclays relationship manager Paula Cross having started at Momentum after the Christmas break to run the company's Communications desk.  Paula is available on 09-3065500 or at paulacross@momentum.co.nz.

In other news, ex TV3 journalist Scott Campbell, who was enticed away from TV3 last year to be Press Secretary for Supercity Mayoral aspirant John Banks, has been appointed Corporate Communications Manager at SKy City.  Meanwhile former TVNZ staffer Glyn Jones,  who was previously at Auckland City, was appointed late last year as Press Secretary to new Auckland Council Mayor Len Brown.  Alison Sykora, ex Vodafone, took up a new role late last year as Communications Manager for Sealord and ASB has brought in change management specialist Christian May, formerly Communications Director for Ernst & Young Asia Pacific based in Hong Kong, to head up their communications team.

Bullet PR and its technology-specialist team led by Nicholas O'Flaherty has been acquired by Ogilvy but will continue to operate with Nicholas at the helm.

So this will be the last posting from Michelle Boag wearing her PR recruitment hat.  But not the last you will hear from her, for sure.

Meanwhile former CAANZ CEO Mark Champion, who was lured across the Tasman to head up the advertising industry equivalent in Australia has returned to New Zealand and has taken a Head of Government Relations role at Huawei, the fast growing technology company from China which is threatening Ericsson’s dominance of the global technology sector.  Add to that the appointment of ex-Telecom consultant Anna Verboeket as Stakeholder Relations Manager at Crown Fibre Holdings and you can see there’s plenty of activity in the technology space for ambitious PR practitioners.