Thrive promotes three women to senior leadership roles

Thrive has promoted Sophie Maguire, Kyra Shakspeare and Lwindi Ellis to senior leadership roles across its Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland offices, extending a broader management reshuffle at the communications agency.

Maguire has been named Business Lead in Melbourne, Shakspeare becomes Business Lead in Brisbane, and Ellis takes the role of Head of PR in Aotearoa New Zealand. The appointments follow Thrive's naming of former DDB Worldwide Global Chairman Marty O'Halloran as strategic adviser and the launch of corporate communications sister agency Acuity.

As Thrive reorganises its leadership structure, the moves put three existing executives in charge of key offices across Australia and New Zealand. The agency said the promotions reflect continued investment in staff, culture and client relationships across the region.

Maguire, a long-serving Thrive executive, described the appointment as a return to the business where she began her career. She will oversee the Melbourne operation.

"I truly never imagined I'd be in this position when I walked through the doors as a 21-year-old in 2008. I've had the opportunity to work with incredible people and brands, both internationally and here in Australia, but I've always found my way back to Thrive. It really does feel like a full-circle moment, and I'm genuinely excited to help shape the next chapter of our Melbourne office while building on the strong foundations already in place. Melbourne is Australia's cultural and sporting capital, and I see a huge opportunity for brands who want to be part of the conversations shaping culture," said Maguire.

In Brisbane, Shakspeare steps into the business lead role after working in the agency's Queensland operation over the past year. She pointed to a push to deepen client relationships in a market she said is becoming more prominent.

"We are building a sharp, infectious energy, zero fluff, and utterly indispensable team. I want our clients to view us less like a hired agency and more like their sharpest internal comms experts. There's an unapologetic momentum up here in Queensland. We have shed the reputation of being a secondary market. We stand on our own two feet, and brands want an authentic presence here. Brisbane 2032 isn't just a distant sporting event on the calendar, it's an active, six-year golden runway that is fundamentally transforming how businesses talk about legacy, impact and global relevance today. Our role is to be the ultimate cheat code for clients on that journey, helping local brands scale onto the world stage and ensuring global brands show up with real local cred," said Shakspeare.

Ellis will lead the Auckland-based business in New Zealand after previously working with Thrive for six months. Her remit includes growing the local team and advising both trans-Tasman brands and organisations based in New Zealand.

"I was fortunate to have already worked with Thrive for six months before stepping into this role, which gave me a proper runway to understand the agency culture and get to know our global clients like BYD and Afterpay, so when the chance came to take the reins of the NZ business, I jumped at it. Thrive's an ambitious, creative and forward-thinking agency and I'm delighted to be driving its business here in Aotearoa," said Ellis.

Leadership changes

The appointments also mark a notable concentration of female leadership within the agency's senior ranks. Leilani Abels, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thrive and Acuity, said the three executives would strengthen the firm's leadership bench.

"I could not be more confident or humbled by the smarts and energy that Sophie, Kyra and Lwindi bring to our leadership bench at Thrive. To have three standout female leaders, committed to their teams and clients' success, is what every agency strives for with its leadership - consistency, connections and creative thinking drive these high-achieving PR women. I'm very proud of what they have already achieved at Thrive and their work in our industry. These leadership appointments represent the continued evolution of Thrive. We are once again taking it up another level for our clients into 2027 and beyond," said Abels.

Thrive operates in a communications market where agencies are increasingly organising around geographic specialism and sector expertise while seeking longer-term advisory relationships with clients. The agency said the latest promotions also support its "Excess Earned Attention" proposition, which it presents as a point of difference in delivering communications work across earned, owned and paid channels.

Ellis's mention of clients including BYD and Afterpay points to the type of regional and international accounts the agency is seeking to manage across multiple markets. In Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, the new structure gives each office a designated senior leader responsible for local growth and client oversight.

The appointments follow Thrive's other recent senior changes and suggest the agency is building a more distributed management model across Australia and New Zealand, with local heads playing a larger role in shaping each market's direction. Under Ellis's leadership, the Auckland office is expected to serve both trans-Tasman brands and locally based organisations.