Meet The Team - Seftons

Robbie Sefton

Founder & Managing Director

Robbie is the managing director of Seftons. She leads the team and specialises in facilitating groups through contentious and challenging issues. A producer of wool, meat and grains, Robbie is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, the 2002 RIRDC NSW Rural Woman of the Year and a member of numerous boards and advisory groups for governments, businesses and not-for-profits. Since 1990 she has lived, worked and travelled all over regional, rural and remote Australia as a rural leader and advocate. She is known and respected by farmers, agribusiness, Ministers, and people at all levels in between.

Sean Chirio

(CPA, BComm) – Chief Financial Officer

Sean is a business consultant with over 20 years experience spanning sectors including information technology, biotechnology, insurance and communications / public relations. Sean is a member of the Certified Practicing Accountant’s (CPA’s) and has a Bachelor of Commerce. Seans work at Seftons includes strategic advice and management of the finance function in a CFO capacity.

Louise Richardson

(BModHistoryPolitics) – Senior Account Director

Louise has more than two decades of experience as a senior public relations practitioner and stakeholder engagement consultant. Her work encompasses strategic communications, issue and risk management, workshop facilitation, community and stakeholder consultation, and reputation management. She has worked across a broad range of industry sectors, including construction and infrastructure, oil and gas, mining and resources, agriculture and agri-business, local government and land development. Prior to Seftons, Louise was National Director of Stakeholder Engagement for PPR, and also ran her own award-winning consultancy Soapbox PR.

Jesse Blackadder

(MAppSci, BA) – Senior Writer

Jesse is an award-winning writer, researcher, journalist and author, who has written about natural resource management and sustainable agriculture for more than 20 years. Her work has been published in Australian Geographic, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Outback Magazine, Australian Farm Journal, Good Reading and others and she won the 2012 Guy Morrison Prize for Literary Journalism. Jesse previously worked with Landcare Australia Ltd. She recently completed her Doctor of Creative Arts at the University of Western Sydney, and has a Master of Applied Science (Social Ecology) and a Bachelor of Arts (Communication). Her role at Seftons includes high-level writing and strategy development.

Jayne Goldring

(BAppSciComm) – Account Director

Jayne has more than 12 years experience as a senior public relations practitioner working in brand management, corporate reputation, issues management, internal communications and events management over a wide range of industries, including many agricultural clients. She previously worked with Professional Public Relations and Sauce Communications.

Tania Paccanaro

BA Comms – Account Director

Tania is a specialist communications consultant with over 20 years’ experience working with global and local brands to develop strategic marketing and communications campaigns. She has spent a large part of her career working in multinational PR agencies leading teams across healthcare, technology, consumer and B2B clients. Much of her work has involved strategic planning and business growth, brand identity and marketing, stakeholder engagement, media liaison including social media, issues management, media training and team mentoring. Tania is passionate about the campaigns and clients she works for.

Tanya Carmichael

(BA Comms) Account Director

Tanya has over 15 years’ experience working with international communications agencies in London and Sydney. Her skills include strategy and planning, media and stakeholder relations, project management, writing and editing, business profiling, sponsorship leverage, event management and media training. Tanya has worked across a variety of sectors on both consumer and business campaigns for well-known brands and leading organisations.

Laura Carr

(BAgrib) – Account Director

With a background in agriculture and agribusiness, Laura has extensive experience in agri-marketing and communications, media relations, strategy, digital and social media and event management. Prior to joining the team, Laura worked as a Senior Project Manager for the Foundation for Regional Development and with the Cancer Council Queensland in their state fundraising and events team. Laura has managed programs for clients including Case IH Australia, Westpac Agribusiness, Meat & Livestock Australia, Australian Meat Processor Corporation, CWA of NSW, RIRDC Rural Women’s Award and Syngenta. In addition to her role as Account Director, Laura also manages the strategic program office function within the business.

Virginia Johnstone

Account Director

Virginia Johnstone’s career in public relations spans more than 15 years and includes agency and in-house experience in Australia and the UK. She has a solid track record in strategy and planning, media and stakeholder relations, issues and crisis, project management, writing and editing, social media management, brand image and business profiling, sponsorship leverage and media training. Virginia has worked across a variety of sectors on both business-to-consumer and business-to-business campaigns for well-known brands and organisations.

Jenny Barbour

Account Director

Jenny is a communication and marketing professional who has worked over the past eight years at the senior executive level leading communication teams at Medicare Australia, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Jenny has worked communicating biosecurity messages and managing associated issues and incidents while at the Department of Agriculture. She worked previously with Animal Health Australia in her role as Chair of the Biosecurity National Communication network. She has strong stakeholder management skills and has worked across levels of government and industry to deliver outcomes.

Kerin Heatley

(BJ/BA – (History)) Account Director

Kerin is a communications professional with 12 years’ experience in Brisbane, Sydney and London. She has delivered a broad range of communications services in senior roles representing global consumer brands and industry groups. Her expertise includes stakeholder engagement, consumer marketing, media relations and issues management. Kerin holds a double Bachelor Journalism/Arts degree at the University of Queensland.

Katie Paynter

Account Director

With more than 20 years’ public relations experience, Katie has delivered stakeholder engagement, investor relations and communications strategy development services to a broad range of sectors including government, utilities, technology and insurance. Katie is a results-focussed communicator with strong written, verbal and interpersonal skills. Prior to joining Seftons, Katie managed communications for several ASX listed companies and worked in a public relations consultancy in Melbourne.

Sonia Morris

(BA Comms) – Senior Account Manager

Sonia is a qualified communications and public relations specialist, with a career spanning over 20 years throughout Australia and in Asia. Over the past 11 years Sonia has worked with public relations and communication agencies managing their portfolios of domestic and international clients. Sonia’s career background includes publishing, communications and extensive work with and within the media sector. She’s a strong communicator who has extensive experience with integrated brand management, media relations, stakeholder relations, hosting events, corporate and consumer communications, corporate social responsibility initiatives and sponsorship leveraging. Her varied sector experience includes working with the aviation, sharing economy, mining, construction, tourism, technology, corporate, financial, retail and healthcare sectors.

Alison Treloar

(BAppSci Hons) – Senior Account Manager

With a background in scientific research, stakeholder relations, sales, brand management and online and print communication, Alison has a strong ability to distil complex messages into clear communications. She has worked at the Australian Institute of Sport, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and with niche and regional food and wine producers on brand and sales management. Her writing has been published in online and print publications including The Australian, Chillfactor Magazine Online, Eating and Drinking Melbourne, and New England Country Living. Alison has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) and her role includes project management, strategy development and writing.

Mitchell Hughes

Account Manager

Mitchell has recently joined Seftons working on projects in the agriculture sector. Mitchell is a sheep and beef producer at Armidale NSW and brings a strong agricultural background and problem solving capacity. With more than ten years experience working in many agricultural industries including cropping, irrigation, livestock and horticulture in NSW, Vic and Tasmania, he understands the industry from both a producers perspective and from the top down and is comfortable working at both the strategic level as well as working with producers. Mitchell is a director of an agtech company and has volunteered his time working on industry based projects.

Kylie Galbraith

(BBus Comms – Journalism) – Account Manager

A writer with more than 20 years’ experience in regional journalism, Kylie has worked for newspapers across NSW and has an intimate understanding of, and passion for, regional and rural Australia. She has reported on local government, federal and state politics, law and order, education and health, and developed an appreciation for the issues affecting these sectors and how they impact on country communities. Her most recent role was as chief-of-staff for Fairfax regional daily The Northern Daily Leader, where she worked for 15 years, helping set the news agenda for the publication and drive campaigns for positive change in the local community.

Matt Cawood

Writer

Matt is a professional writer with more than 20 years’ experience as a senior journalist, science and environment writer and national issues writer for Fairfax media. He currently contributes as a communications professional within the education sector. Matt was the 2016 recipient of the NSW Farm Writers & Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists Star Prize for Rural Writing, and second in the 2016 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists John Deere Print Award.

Mikala Dickie

Account Coordinator

Originally from Tamworth, Mikala comes to Sefton’s after working in Sydney with Inglis as their rural property marketing coordinator and venue hire coordinator. Here she assisted her team with the processes regarding rural property transactions whilst gaining knowledge and exposure to a variety of international and domestic clients associated with the agricultural and thoroughbred industry. Complementing her varied experience, Mikala is in the final stages of completing a Bachelor of Communications.

Olivia Royle

Digital Marketing Consultant

With a background in marketing, Olivia has extensive experience in digital marketing, social media marketing, strategy and search engine optimisation. Prior to joining the team, Olivia worked with Yahoo7, her first in-house role after 5 years of working with numerous digital agencies across multiple blue chip clients.

Monique Hope

(BBus Tourism Mgt) – Senior Team Administrator & Executive Assistant to Ms Robbie Sefton

With a background in administration, business and events, Monique has worked in a variety of roles within the tourism, hospitality, fashion and retail industries including in local government. Monique has a Bachelor of Business in Tourism Management and her role at Seftons includes executive assistance to our Managing Director as well as administration, office management and finance support at the Tamworth office.