After working for several high-profile political leaders around Australia, including Premiers Dan Andrews and Annastacia Palaszczuk and most recently Federal Minister for Aged Care and Sport Anika Wells, Amber boasts a formidable network and knowledge of government relations. She divides her time between engagement with the NSW and Federal Governments, offering Anacta clients extensive expertise in how to make an impact in a crowded political landscape.

Ash brings over 15 years of leadership experience across politics, government, and the union movement. As the former Secretary of ACT Labor, he successfully led the party through multiple territory and federal election campaigns. He has also held senior advisory roles in government, working across key portfolios including Health, Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations, and Government Services and Procurement.

Christine offers strategic communications expertise drawn from 25+ years working in high-pressure environments, from newsrooms to board rooms. An award-winning journalist, foreign correspondent and author, she is passionate about crafting compelling narratives that target the right audiences with the right messages to achieve our client's goals.

Craig brings extensive experience in government relations, stakeholder engagement, and crisis management. He has served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to Ministers in both the WA State and Federal Parliaments, providing him with a deep understanding of government decision-making processes and policy development. Craig has also held executive roles in national not-for-profit and advocacy organisations, where he focused on building cross-sector partnerships with unions and industry.

With experience across politics, leading consulting firms, and the corporate and public sectors, Danielle offers deep insight into diverse operating environments. She draws on deep experience and networks in both NSW and Federal Government to support leaders navigating complex policy and engagement challenges. A trusted adviser across government and industry, Danielle helps organisations engage with influence and impact to deliver enduring outcomes.

One of the most experienced and respected political strategists in the country, Evan leads Anacta's team of government engagement specialists. He has a diverse range of expertise across strategy, communications, and stakeholder relations. Evan is a former Member of Parliament, Director of Strategy to a Qld Premier and ALP State Secretary.

Frankie brings over 9 years' experience across state and federal parliaments, most recently working for the NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, advising on complex policy matters, implementing media strategies and managing stakeholders. Having worked across parliamentary, ministerial and campaign environments, Frankie has a deep understanding of government and politics.

Kate has nearly two decades' experience in journalism and political communications. Prior to joining Anacta, Kate headed up the London public affairs team at geopolitical advisory firm APCO where she provided clients with senior counsel on political engagement, communications and crisis management. Previously, Kate worked as a political adviser for the Labour Party and a journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. She has worked on general and local election campaigns, Labour leadership contests and has a large and diverse network in Westminster and beyond.

Lachlan is an experienced political researcher, campaign strategist and communications professional. He has been a trusted senior adviser to a range of ministers and political leaders and has significant experience working on national and high-profile political campaigns, including as research director for the Australian Labor Party during the 2022 federal election. Lachlan's skills and experience include strategy communications, political research and analysis, media management and speech writing.

Based in our Melbourne office, Licardo brings extensive experience in strategy, communications, issues and crisis management. He has served as a media adviser to two Victorian Premiers and has held senior corporate affairs and communications roles in the private and not-for-profit sectors.

Melantha has spent most of her career in and around the Labour movement. Most recently, she returned to the Labour Party press team during the 2024 General Election. Before joining the advisory sector, Melantha spent five years at the trade union Community, where she initially led the union's political engagement strategy before becoming their Head of Communications. Melantha has advised a range of organisations including household names like Airbnb, TikTok and Balfour Beatty. Melantha brings robust agency experience and an exceptional political network from right across the breadth of the Labour movement.

Mel brings years of experience in Ministerial offices, the public service, political offices and government owned corporations to her operations role at Anacta. Her extensive experience providing strategic advice, campaign support, governance, compliance and event coordination has proven invaluable in her oversight of the firm's operations.

Øyvind is a senior political strategist with 16 years of experience advising The Norwegian Labour Party on strategy, policy and analysis. As the party’s Head of Strategy from 2021, he led the development, alignment and execution of the parties strategy in government and facilitated the strategic work turning a tough local election result 2023 to a successful re-election campaign in the 2025 general election. Øyvind has worked on eight national and local campaigns, contributed to four national election manifestos and helped reposition Labour on major issues including immigration and energy. He has also served in government, most recently as State Secretary to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Øyvind advises political leaders and campaign organisations on strategy, policy positioning, voter insight and turning strategic choices into disciplined execution.

Philippa brings a wide range of skills to our Perth office, drawn from her background in political and corporate research, campaigning and strategic policy development. Legally qualified and an experienced board director, Philippa has a successful track record working with industry and government to achieve positive results.

Sarah brings 7 years' experience in political organisations, campaigning, stakeholder engagement and communications. Her relationships and networks are well established in Federal and NSW Governments and the Union movement, developed through her work for NSW Labor and at the electorate level. Sarah is based in Anacta's Canberra office.

Shonagh has held senior roles across the UK political and public affairs landscape for the past seven years. Previously, she served as a senior staffer to leading politicians in Holyrood and Westminster. Since 2022, Shonagh has led corporate client support, including for many FTSE 100 and 250 businesses, within the Labour advisory sector. She specialises in advising companies in the financial services, tech, energy and defence sectors.

With over 14 years of experience in senior roles within the Labour Party, Teddy has an outstanding track record in political campaigning, strategic communications and political engagement. His role at the forefront of Labour's path to power affords clients a unique insight into the mechanics of the Labour machine. As the architect of the Labour Business Network, Teddy provides clients with strategic counsel on fostering valuable relationships with Government based on the shared priority of driving growth to UK PLC.

Thomas manages the quantitative research work across Australia and New Zealand. He is a master of survey methodology, data visualisation and advanced statistical techniques, and was responsible for the closest polling results of any firm in the 2020 and 2023 New Zealand elections.

Victoria brings more than 25 years' experience in government relations, strategic political advice and stakeholder relationship management. She is passionate about the value of empowering clients to navigate Government processes. Over 15 years serving as a Brisbane City Councillor, Victoria established a reputation for bringing people together to achieve positive results.

Daisy has worked across multiple government departments including (now) MHCLG, where she worked closely with local authorities to deliver a £1.5 billion social housing project. Since joining agency, Daisy has specialised in policy and strategic advice for clients including in the tech, telecoms, housing and transport sectors.

With a background in professional campaigns and communications Jess has developed strong connections in both the union movement and political circles. Jess has a strong skillset which includes research, policy analysis, digital communication, and copywriting. She is based in our Brisbane office.

Based in Anacta's Perth office, Lucy has broad experience in political campaigns and government. Her strong skillset includes community engagement, stakeholder management and research.

Ben draws from practical experience as a former Senior Researcher for two New Zealand Labour Prime Ministers, Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins. Most recently, Ben worked on UK Labour's successful General Election campaign, supporting with budget oversight and print and message management. Ben specialises in providing high quality and timely research to clients and prides himself on his ability to provide effective advice on matters of policy.

Mark joins Anacta from WA Labor, where he has established deep networks in government, the union movement, and the party at both the state and federal level. With hands-on experience in political campaigns, stakeholder management, and strategic communications, he brings practical knowledge of how political decisions are made and how organisations can engage effectively with government.

Diya joins the team with a multidisciplinary background including real-world policy experience in Federal government, as well as a strong background in communications and research. Recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in PPE (Politics, Philosophy, and Economics), she is keen to combine her academic and professional experience to contribute across Anacta's diverse client base. Diya is based in our Canberra office.

Pierre-Louis brings extensive policy research experience, having led major projects at a national think tank. A first-class honours graduate with academic research experience, he combines strong analytical and writing skills to deliver impactful insights across Anacta's client base. Pierre-Louis is based in our Canberra office.

David has been established in the government relations and political strategy industry for more than 15 years. During that time, David has worked on countless domestic and international political campaigns, successful large public private partnership bids and mining licence approvals, as well as enacting a wide variety of legislative and regulatory change.

One of the best political researchers in the Asia-Pacific region, David served as pollster and strategist for New Zealand's last two Labour Prime Ministers, Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins. In Australia, he was heavily involved in Labor's successful campaigns in the 2022 Federal election and the Victorian state election. He advises on communications and strategy at the highest levels in politics and business.

Hannah is a recent graduate, learning the intricacies of a range of research - from social license to campaign message testing.

Justin is a high-profile lobbying and government relations advisor to the corporate and investment sectors with more than 30 years' experience in the field. After a decade as a political adviser in the federal parliament, he ran government relations advisory firms Hawker Britton and Barton Deakin for almost two decades. He joined Anacta in 2026 after founding the Australia operation of global strategy consultancy, Hakluyt, where he worked for almost a decade, most recently including two years in their New York office.

Kim oversees group finances. She's the person to contact in relation to supplier details and with invoicing questions.

Matt joined Anacta from his role as Director of the Parliamentary Labour Party, where he provided operational, political and strategic support to the leadership and parliamentary party. Prior to this, he oversaw Labour's selection process and supported candidates through the General Election, building lasting relationships with MPs. He brings the most extensive network in the public affairs space and unmatched insight into how government decisions are made.

Based in our Brisbane office, Michelle has over 25 years experience as an Executive Assistant. Her diverse experience spans industries including television, banking, and fitness, gained while supporting executive and leadership teams in London, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Roman won the prestigious award for Young Researcher of the Year in 2023. He's an experienced qualitative researcher who has worked across FMCG, professional service brands, unions, and political campaigns globally. He is an accomplished facilitator and provides strategic research support across global markets.

Ruby excels at research design and delivery and in translating complex findings into clear, decision-ready insights.

Stephen has extensive experience working at the top level in politics both sides of the Tasman and involvement in many landmark issue management and political campaigns. Stephen was a senior political adviser to New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange and following his resignation in 1989 to then Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Helen Clark.

Tamsin brings a PhD in Organisational Psychology and has over a decade of applied research expertise.