Weber Shandwick elevates Ian Rumsby to regional strategy role, names Ava Lawler as MD in Australia

Rumsby, who had been overseeing the Australia operation, will continue as chairman of Weber Shandwick Australia, but also takes on an additional Asia-Pacific regional role as chief strategy officer, with special responsibility for creativity and planning.

He will be responsible for the design and development of business and communication solutions that drive client campaigns, according to the agency.

Speaking of the challenge of the additional role, Rumsby told Campaign Asia-Pacific that it has always been to ensure that the agency stays one step ahead of the changes reverberating across the industry.

"PR agencies have moved from conduits between clients and media to channel-agnostic content producers and engagement strategists," he said. "That puts us into a totally different sphere of marketing communications and makes this one of the most vibrant, creative and exciting periods in the development of our industry."

Lawler will lead Weber Shandwick Australia’s operations and oversee the client work of the five practices in the Sydney office, working closely with practice directors. She will report directly to Tim Sutton, Weber Shandwick's Asia-Pacific chairman.

Lawler was previously global consultancy director at Text 100. She has spent more than 13 years establishing and managing PR businesses either within local markets or across the region. She has 22 years of global communications experience overall.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work with some excellent brand names, across a broader number of industry sectors," Lawler said. "I was attracted by the chance to also work in partnership with the other agencies within Interpublic Group and the opportunity to leverage Weber Shandwick's intellectual properties from around the world."

In Australia, Lawler set up two PR firms for the Next Fifteen Group, including Text 100 and AUGUST.ONE Communications. She worked with clients across corporate, technology, digital and consumer technology sectors.