The Main Event: PR In The Digital Age

Kieran has almost 30 years’ experience in PR covering public relations strategy development and implementation, reputation and crisis management and corporate positioning for business to business and consumer focused companies both in the UK and Australia. As Ogilvy PR Australia CEO, she is responsible for the specialist businesses that fall within the Group. 

Prior to becoming CEO, Kieran was the managing director of Howorth for eight years. Before that Kieran served as board director and shareholder of London-based Firefly Communications for eight years which had offices in England, Scotland, France and Germany.

Pip is the Head of Corporate Communications for Microsoft Australia responsible for external relations, employee communications and executive communications for the company.

Pip has spent more than 20 years working in Australia, APAC, EMEA and the USA in communications roles for technology companies including IBM, BMC Software, McAfee and AltaVisa.

She now lives in Sydney with her husband and two little girls.

James is a multi-award-winning consultant who has advised some of the world’s biggest brands. Before joining Havas he was a Board Director at international agency Grayling where he led a number of their international accounts, including HSBC, Sony, Jaguar and Land Rover, and founded their pioneering sustainability practice ‘Grayling Future Planet’.

He is responsible for all of the Havas Worldwide agencies in Australia: PR agency Red Agency; creative agencies Havas Worldwide Sydney &  Melbourne and Arnold Furnace; and employer branding agency, Havas People. In each of the past three years he has led Havas owned Red Agency to become the most awarded PR team in Australia, which has included winning numerous international awards, including Cannes Lions, Spikes and a D&AD Black Pencil, as well as numerous 'Agency of the Year' accolades. In 2013 he was invited as the sole Australian PR jury member at three prestigious international marketing festivals: CLIOs, Cannes Lions and Cristal Festival.

After nearly 15 years in senior media and external affairs roles in political offices, major utilities and publicly listed companies, Dylan is now heads Public Affairs for Airbnb across Asia Pacific.

He's a guy with a big laugh a love for travel and a huge passion for the work he does. Airbnb began in 2008 and has now spread to more than two million listings in 191 countries, creating a new economy for people all over the world. It's more than doubled in size year on year and Australians are some of the most prolific users of the platform.

Jocelin Abbey is Head of Radio and Regional Marketing at the ABC.

With over a decade in the media & entertainment industries, Jocelin is the newly appointed Head of Radio and Regional Marketing at the ABC. In this role, Jocelin has oversight of marketing activities for the complete suite of ABC Radio properties, including 45 ABC Local Radio stations, Regional ABC Radio, triple j, double j, RN, Classic FM and the ABC Radio app, plus numerous digital only stations.

Previously, Jocelin was responsible for leading the Yahoo7 and Yahoo NZ audience acquisition and engagement strategy, maximising brand awareness, affinity and preference.

During her time with Nova Entertainment, Jocelin launched Nova’s Red Room live music platform to consumer and trade audiences, and she has managed digital strategy for  some of Australia’s biggest music festivals and names in music, such as Splendour in the Grass, Drake, Mumford and Sons and Jessie J.

Jocelin holds postgraduate qualifications in Marketing, and is currently progressing through her MBA at University of Technology, Sydney.