Vanessa Liell

I am a strategic communications professional and founder. I grew up in Sydney and have spent the majority of my life here while raising three children. I am passionate about the power of communication to catalyse change. Professionally, I co-founded Orizontas Group in 2022 that includes corporate advisory Orizontas and creative venture Rethink Everything. Together with my partners we solve business challenges through deep expertise in political, climate, reputational & market risk. We work with CEOs and boards in Australia and APAC and specialise in strategic communications, issues and crisis, bi-partisan state and federal government relations and impactful creative campaigns. This follows a 14 year career as co-founder & CEO of one of Australia's largest independent communication agency groups, now Herd MSL - acquired by Publicis in 2017. I am the winner of B&T's Women in Media PR Leadership Award, a Fellow of Communication and Public Relations Australia and an inaugural Walkley Foundation Women in Media mentor. I am a member of Chief Executive Women, a member of UNSW Media Industry Advisory Board and a sessional Academic at the University of Technology Sydney's School of Communications.