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Robyn Sefiani was president of the South Asia region for international public relations giant Edelman before striking out on her own, and directors Sarah Craig. Nicholas Owens and the newly-promoted Evan Petrelis all
have extensive experience in senior roles with large multinationals, so when Sefiani makes the claim that it can deliver big agency experience in a boutique environment (in which every account gets attention from one of those four senior executives), the firm is not exaggerating..
Sefiani brings expertise in corporate reputation and brand management, crisis and issues management and executive profiling and has advised clients including Visa International, BHP Billiton, Luxottica and Booz Allen
Hamilton. Craig was formerly a London-based financial retail sector analyst and institutional stockbroker, and specializes in financial communications and investor relations. Owens worked in the Tokyo office of a major international firm and in the corporate communications unit of Austrade, the Federal Government's key export
agency, where he was in close contact with the office of the Minister for Trade. And Petrelis worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers in corporate communications in Sydney prior to joining Sefiani, and before that held positions with leading consultancies in London and South Africa.
The firm’s core business is a mix of corporate and financial communications and crisis and issues management work, which together account for about 80 percent of its revenues, but a consumer practice added in 2007 has grown at a healthy pace, picking up several interesting clients, most notably in the travel arena. Online travel company Expedia extended Sefiani's remit to include New Zealand last year, and sought the firm’s advice on agency partners in Japan and India, while Tourism Australia appointed Sefiani to its public relations panel and fast-growing regional airline SkyAirWorld was a major new client, selecting Sefiani for a brief that included positioning the Solomon Islands as a new holiday destination for Australians. The firm also saw healthy growth in the professional services space, with new clients including an employment law firm, a commercial property services firm, a boutique strategy firm, an executive service firm, a global engineering and environmental science firm, and a global water management firm. And finally, Sefiani supplemented its crisis and issues management capabilities with the introduction of a suite of business adjustment services, designed to assist companies undergoing major change as a result of the credit crisis, and also enhanced its social media offering.
All of that helped to fuel a seventh consecutive year of growth, although 2008 was really a year of consolidation after an aggressive 50 percent expansion the previous year. The firm continues to work for major clients including
Luxottica (the world’s biggest eyewear company), ASX-listed PMP (Australia’s largest printing and distribution company) and Expedia, while there was new business from Jones Lang LaSalle (global commercial property firm), PKF (the Australian arm of global accounting firm), URS (global engineering firm), Harmers Workplace Lawyers, private health insurance fund HCF, SkyAirWorld and Tourism Australia.
During a period of regulatory change and consolidation in Australia’s private health insurance sector, Sefiani devised and implemented communications strategy for the merger of two of Australia’s iconic private health insurance funds, HCF and Manchester Unity, creating the nation’s third largest health fund. For longtime client Luxottica, meanwhile, Sefiani supported expansion in Asia and South Africa with a corporate communications and issues management program, drawing on affiliates in South Africa and Hong Kong to provide media support for visits by Luxottica’s Sydney-based chief executive. And after the Australian government made securing work for indigenous Australians a priority, Sefiani launched the not-for-profit Aboriginal Employment Strategy, encouraging corporate Australia to develop partnerships and traineeships for indigenous employees.
“Sefiani has worked closely with me and my executive team for the past two and a half years as we affected a significant turnaround in the business of this 168-year old health fund,” says John Brogden, chief executive officer of Manchester Unity. “During the past six months Sefiani was an integral part of our merger team, along with corporate advisers, lawyers, proxy solicitation firm, and ad agency as we worked towards the merger of Manchester Unity with HCF Australia. Sefiani's advice is listened to and valued, and their team is smart, professional and personable; they go the extra mile to get great outcomes for us and have managed our communication with business media and other stakeholders superbly”.
While Sefiani's focus is mainly on Australia and New Zealand, the firm is increasingly being asked to provide services in major markets around the world, and does this through its affiliate network.
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