Agency

Publicis Groupe’s Influential Australia Names Two Group Directors as Agency Expands

Published on July 22, 2026

Influential Australia, Publicis Groupe’s influencer and social marketing agency, has appointed Kelson Ong and Erin Hunter as Group Directors, leading its Melbourne and Sydney offices respectively. The moves add senior leadership as the agency builds out client partnerships less than a year after its launch.

Ong and Hunter will focus on growing and deepening client relationships while driving commercial outcomes through the agency’s social and influencer offerings. Ong rejoins Publicis Groupe after nearly a decade away, while Hunter brings 17 years of industry experience. Both have built careers spanning social and creator marketing alongside traditional marketing disciplines.

“As brands put social at the centre of their marketing, Influential Australia is assembling a team that’s redefining what a modern influencer and social agency looks like,” said Catherine Wilkinson, General Manager of Influential Australia. “We’re attracting exceptional talent, creating work that shapes culture instead of chasing it, and building a workplace where people are encouraged to do brilliant work without taking themselves too seriously.”

Ong said the agency treats “social-first thinking and creativity as a strategic craft in its own right,” adding that he wants to help brands grow by “connecting culture, creators, and commerce from the start.” Hunter cited the current pace of the social landscape and Influential’s investment in people as reasons for joining.

Influential Australia launched in September 2025 as Publicis Groupe Australia’s dedicated influencer and social agency, unifying the network’s media, creative, and communications capabilities into a single offering. The launch followed Publicis Groupe’s global acquisition of Influential in late 2024 and its acquisition of Captiv8 in May 2025, which added a network of 15 million creators across 120 countries to the group’s capabilities.

The Australian arm operates under Skye Lambley, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ’s Influence Practice, with Wilkinson serving as General Manager, and comprises more than 30 cross-disciplinary specialists spanning social strategy, content production, and platform specialization.