SYDNEY—Newell Brands has appointed Blackie McDonald as its public relations agency of record in Australia. Blackie McDonald will manage the consumer and B2B duties for the tools and commercial segments of Newell Brands, focusing on content creation, product placement and media relations. Newell recently appointed international PR agency Cohn & Wolfe to handle its PR in all other markets.

MUMBAI—GolinOpinion has won two brands in the automobile sports and luxury sector: Porsche and Lamborghini. The agency was appointed after a multi-agency pitch and provide strategy for both brands. GolinOpinion India will lead an integrated communications strategy to continue to assert Porsche as the leading sport luxury car brand and Lamborghini as the most aspirational luxury car brand in India.

SYDNEY—Global personal-care brand Palmolive has appointed DEC PR as its strategic communications partner for a new premium line of products, set to land on shelves later this year. DEC PR will lead the digital and print focused communications for the exclusive Australia and New Zealand launch. 

MUMBAI—Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has named Sushant Balsekar as head of PR and corporate communications as the company prepares for the launch of Jeep in India. Balsekar, an automobile engineer was previously a communications consultant to General Motors India and has worked with Nissan Group of India, Ford India and Ford Asia Pacific & Africa in a variety of communication roles. 

SYDNEY—Global homeware retailer IKEA has selected Pulse Communications, part of Ogilvy PR Australia, as its agency of record following a competitive tender and review process. Pulse will work with the IKEA team on consumer and corporate public relations, influencer engagement and experiential campaigns. The work will focus on positioning IKEA as a leader in life at home with a focus on democratic design and sustainability, and a great place to work.

SYDNEY—CitiXsys , the omnichannel services provider of the iVend Retail Suite, has selected Hotwire PR  to manage its public relations and social media in Australia and New Zealand. Hotwire was selected for its domain expertise, robust influencer network and its creative approach.