‘Beyond just marketing’: The Comms way to the top

Reconciliation Australia chief executive Karen Mundine is the first to agree that a background in communications isn’t the usual trajectory to the C-suite, at least in corporate Australia. But with the growing recognition about the importance of communications to organisations of all sizes, one day there may be more like her – communications specialists who end up in the top job.

“There is a growing recognition of the importance of comms generally beyond just marketing,” Mundine says.

Mundine has found those entering the field learn quickly how much is involved in effectively delivering strategic communications.

“If you think it’s about press releases and heavy long lunches, that exposes you – it means you don’t harness the true value of what that function looks like.”

As the first in her family to graduate with a tertiary degree, Mundine felt an obligation to contribute to society.

“It was really important that whatever I chose to do, I did well, and then I, in some way, gave back to the community,” she says.

Many of today’s communicators now follow Mundine’s approach, and use their communications abilities to make change in an area they are passionate about. As CEO of Reconciliation Australia in the year of the Voice referendum, Mundine is busier than ever.

“All of our work at Reconciliation Australia is about communicating; it’s about communicating ideas,” she says.

Of course, not-for-profits are far from the only organisations needing skilled communicators – both at the helm and through the ranks.

In her 15 years working in strategic communications, the director of Communications Collective, Genevieve Brannigan, has done everything from creating and increasing audiences for Football Federation Australia to specialist campaigns for children’s literacy. Today, her role centres on connecting with clients, mapping strategy and supporting her agency’s project teams to bring those strategies to life.

In the years Brannigan has been in the industry, the value of communications to the C-suite has rising significantly.

“Complex communications plans start at the top and must be completely aligned to brand, business strategy and the business’s KPIs, values and strategic outlook. That’s why I work directly with so many CEOs, founders, and directors, as well as comms and marketing specialists,” says Brannigan.

Both Mundine and Brannigan say that when they’re hiring communications specialists, they need people who understand how to work with content, can deliver it across ever-changing channels, and are ready for the breadth and diversity most communications roles entail.

“One day you can be on a construction site for a groundbreaking ceremony, then in a major art gallery taking journalists and VIPs through a retrospective, then the next working with a CEO to articulate a strategic vision. No two days are the same,” says Brannigan. “It is a very satisfying career for those who love to be at the forefront of change … [working] with changemakers and visionaries. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Mundine says that while she never entered the field thinking of it as a career, it has led her to “amazing places, spaces and people”, including work with prime ministers, other politicians and governors-general.

But it’s the bigger picture that’s kept Mundine going.

“Getting out into communities, hearing people’s stories and to be able to help tell those stories in service of a bigger outcome has probably been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

Kicking off a comms career:

• Don’t wait until you graduate to try and get a job in the industry. “There are so many part-time roles you can use to build hands-on experience while you study.”
• Senior career opportunities don’t happen overnight. “Be prepared to work hard and be patient while you learn your craft.”
• Brannigan believes success at work is “part intelligence, part resilience, and lots of hard work and emotional intelligence”.

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.