About

True North Strategic Communication is one of northern Australia’s premier communication agencies specialising in strategic communication, community consultation and stakeholder engagement.

We have a strong and professional team who work hard to deliver successful outcomes across all spectrums of communication and engagement, including media relations, marketing, and professional and strategic writing. We also provide crisis communication, reputation and issues management.

We have in-depth local knowledge of northern Australia with our head office based in Darwin. We also have a presence in Orange, New South Wales.

Driven by our values of integrity, collaboration, passion, clever thinking and professionalism, we apply best practice thinking to implement creative and solution focussed projects and campaigns.

True North works with a range of clients from the public and private sector and non-profit organisations. We have won a strong reputation based on our professionalism, diverse skills, local knowledge and culturally appropriate practice.

 
 
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The Team

Our team provides strategic communication and best practice engagement solutions for local, state and national clients. Learn more about us.

 

Elena Madden

Managing Director

As owner and local Territorian, Elena is passionate about advocating for the Territory through good relationships and quality communication and engagement. Elena is an engaging and diplomatic leader and exemplifies best practice strategic communication. Elena has extensive experience in corporate communication and media and community relations, with a background in mining and major projects. She has developed strong local networks and a good understanding of issues impacting northern and regional Australia.

Sevasti Makrylos

General Manager

Sevasti is a born and bred Territorian who is recognised as a leader in her field at a national level after being shortlisted as Emerging Leader of the Year in the 2020 PRIA Golden Target Awards. With a strong reputation for her writing, community and stakeholder engagement, marketing and media relations, Sevasti is innovative and delivers good outcomes for clients and stakeholders. Sevasti specialises in providing clients with media support and guidance, strategic marketing and communication campaigns and innovative community consultation programs.

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Jane Munday

Senior Advisor

As the former owner of the business, Jane has nearly 30 years’ of experience working in remote and urban areas of the Northern Territory. She has a vast network and a well-established understanding of local and national community and stakeholder engagement practices. Jane offers ongoing guidance and support to the team and continues to work part-time with True North as a community engagement and social impact assessment practitioner.

Bethany Thornton

Managing Consultant

Bethany excels at managing all facets of communication and media, and confidently leads engagement for complex and sensitive projects. Her experience spans local and state government, major projects, transport and not for profit, with a specialisation in infrastructure and Defence. Bethany is a strategic thinker with an exceptional ability to adapt to new industries quickly, ensuring deliverables align seamlessly with client objectives while meeting stakeholder and community expectations.

Claire Punch

Senior Consultant

Claire arrived in Darwin in 2012 after working in the remote South Australian desert for over 3 years. With a strong background in the arts and publishing sectors, Claire pivoted into aviation and most recently government across a range of policy areas, including business, environment and water security. Claire is a strategic communicator, facilitator and stakeholder engagement professional. She is also an experienced leader and adviser with an extensive network across the Territory aided by her ability to create meaningful relationships. 

Alex Mackay

Consultant

Alex is a results-driven corporate communication professional with a diverse range of experience across communication, digital marketing and public relations. She started her corporate communications career in the higher education industry before focussing on the mining and resources sector. Alex has worked closely with ASX-listed resources companies to articulate their investment proposition and develop effective shareholder communications and marketing materials to engage with investors, analysts, media and other stakeholders.

Emily Milikins

Consultant

Emily is a skilled digital marketing specialist with a passion for delivering creative, results-driven strategies and outcomes for clients. With experience in marketing, public relations and corporate communication, Emily has worked across a diverse range of industries and projects, including supporting several large-scale national public relations campaigns. Emily was raised in Darwin and has a strong connection to the Territory with a good understanding of local issues.

Sarah Coburn

Consultant

Sarah is a strategic and creative communicator with a background in corporate communication, media and stakeholder engagement. Sarah works across a broad range of industries and has experience working effectively on highly emotive and sensitive projects. Sarah has supported long-term public engagement campaigns, provided dedicated in-house media and communication support and coordinated engaging marketing materials and collateral. Sarah was born and raised in the Northern Territory and has a strong connection to local business, social and cultural landscapes.

Huntar Hakim

Associate Consultant

Huntar brings exceptional project management and content development skills to True North. Huntar has had the opportunity to work on several exciting projects that have allowed her to develop her skills in various areas, including personal branding, social media and event organisation. Huntar also has experience using social media scheduling and software platforms to increase the online presence of her clients. At True North, Huntar is focused on developing her community consultation expertise as she learns more about the Territory.

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Joy Wright

Office Manager

Joy is responsible for the smooth operation of our business and provides support for the whole team on a wide range of projects. In addition to her day to day work, Joy’s flexibility finds her doing everything from answering community hotlines we manage for clients to proofreading detailed strategies and organising stakeholder engagement events. Joy is proficient in managing calendars, organising events, managing records, data entry, invoicing and managing budgets.

 
 

Partnerships

Studio B + True North Strategic Communication

 
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Brooke Summers

Graphic Designer, Studio B

True North is proud to partner with Territory-owned graphic design agency Studio B Designs to bolster visual communication tools to meet our clients’ design and branding needs. Highly skilled in designing tailored consultation support materials, Brooke’s diverse offering also includes logo design, brand development, annual reports, flyers, corporate communication, merchandise, signage, infographics, advertisements and strategic documents. 

 

Awards