Prominent Media and Business Executive joins Rowland

Leading strategic communication, digital and creative agency, Rowland, has appointed former Australian Industry Group national COO and Queensland Head, Shane Rodgers to the newly created position of Head of Media and Platforms and Executive Strategy Advisor.

Shane was a former General Manager of Queensland Newspapers and Deputy Editor, News Editor and Chief-of-Staff of The Courier Mail, while his other senior media roles have included Queensland Editor of The Australian, National Editorial Director of APN Regional Media, and Editor-in-Chief of Quest Newspapers.

He was also Marketing and Communications Director of The University of Queensland and previously held senior management roles with Goodstart Early Learning and Brisbane Economic Development Agency.

Rowland Chairman Geoff Rodgers said he was delighted to welcome Shane to the firm and is excited about the opportunities for the team to tap into Shane’s knowledge, experience and insights to help organisations traverse the complex and rapidly changing world of media and digital communication.

“This role strengthens our service offering by further integrating media and communication platforms across all of our client service offerings, with a focus on four key areas: media relations, social and digital, content delivery, and influencer marketing,” he said.

“Additionally, Shane’s role as Executive Strategy Advisor will focus on ‘global’ insights into our clients’ businesses and what this means for them from a strategy, commercial and communication perspective.”

Shane said he was enthusiastic about 2023 being a year of change and the opportunities to apply critical thinking and strategy to Rowland’s many and varied clients across Australia.

“With my somewhat diverse background across business, digital, brand and marketing, communications, and traditional media, I believe we are well placed to drive positive change with strong commercial outcomes for businesses in the reputation and brand game.

“This type of work is increasingly fascinating as fast-moving megatrends require more rapid strategic resets and bigger thinking around the emerging challenges and opportunities.”

With brand, reputation, digital, engagement, campaign and communication services under the one roof, Rowland has evolved to provide a digital and data offering to world-class organisations, while maintaining its focus on corporate strategy, internal culture and external reputation.

Founded in 1992, Rowland employs approximately 80 people across five core business units: Consulting, Training, Creative, Digital and Data, and also operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, Rowland Ventures, which is pursuing strategic investments in communication technology and related digital businesses.

Rowland also enjoys a 15-year association with one of the world’s largest communication groups, FleishmanHillard, which operates 80 offices and employs 3,600 people globally, and is part of the massive NYSE-listed Omnicom Group — the world’s largest marketing services holding company.

Headquartered in Brisbane, Rowland works with leading corporations, brands, and governing bodies across Australia providing communication support to successfully achieve corporate strategy, shape culture and brands, and manage reputation.