Andrew Ure

Managing Director

Andrew Ure is the Managing Director of OgilvyEarth.  He has over a decade of experience solving key strategic issues in both the public and private sectors, with a particular interest in climate change and sustainability.  Prior to this, he spent eight years with the Australian Government, most recently as Director of International Forest Carbon at the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE), where he jointly managed a $270 million international forestry initiative.

At DCCEE, Andrew supported the development of Australia’s international climate change policy and was a lead negotiator for Australia in UN negotiations. He was elected co-chair of the international REDD+ Partnership, a grouping of around eighty countries aimed at driving progress on deforestation. He worked with key stakeholders from governments, civil society and the private sector to build goodwill and trust in the Partnership.

Prior to this he was a diplomat at the Australian Embassy, Tehran, where he was involved in managing a number of crises.  He began his career as a business strategy consultant at OC&C Strategy Consultants in London, working with blue-chip companies on M&A deals and strategy planning.

Andrew has extensive experience in stakeholder management including with a number of key Australian NGOs.  His specialities include climate change and sustainability, crisis management and policy development in politically contested environments.

 

 

Teljya Oka-Pregel

Practice Director

Teljya brings a decade of corporate, not-for-profit and academic expertise to OgilvyEarth’s sustainability offering. She works with clients to leverage sustainability strategies and programs to create business and brand value delivering practical solutions and sound advice to public and private sector organisations seeking to turn environmental and social sustainability challenges into organisational and business opportunities.

Teljya specialises in developing communications programs that achieve defined outcomes through effective culture change, stakeholder engagement and organisational behaviour. She started her career providing sustainable strategies to Interface Inc., the world’s largest modular carpet manufacturer and green business leader. Since then, she has advised and developed programs for a range of multinational companies across the aviation, construction and retail consumer goods sectors.

Teljya draws on her international experience and multidisciplinary academic training to create holistic solutions with a systems perspective. She has worked and studied in Canada, France, the United States and Australia. Teljya holds a Combined Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Studies & Sociology and a Masters in Environmental Science & Law.

 

 Tara Mills

 Senior Consultant

 Tara joined Ogilvy in August 2010. Her past and present clients fall are primarily    corporate   in nature, including Canon, Motorola, mySmart CTI, Blockbuster Australia, Tourism Australia, Veda and Telstra.

   Tara completed a Bachelor of Communications in 2008 at Griffith University on the Gold Coast with majors in Marketing and Public Relations.

Prior to joining Howorth she undertook various roles in the areas of PR/Marketing and Events for not-for-profit, theatre, fashion and travel companies.

Tara has always had a personal interest in sustainability and has worked across various sustainability projects for Coca-Cola, mySmart CTI and Canon covering areas of E-waste, Product Stewardship, retrofitting, energy efficiency and environmental grants.

 

  Sam North

   Media Director

  Sam North, former Managing Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald, joined   Ogilvy PR in the newly created role of Media Director at the start of 2009. Sam brought more than 30 years of experience across the fields of media and management to the role.

   As Media Director, Sam provides senior counsel on media engagement, crisis and issues management. Since joining Ogilvy he has provided advice to a number of major companies, including Ford Australia, Microsoft, Toshiba, Unilever and Yum Foods Australia.

Sam leads the Ogilvy media training unit, with a large number of training options being tailored to suit the particular needs of the client. Sam has prepared clients to handle any number of potentially damaging, or potentially advantageous, circumstances from coaching for an appearance before a Senate committee, to getting people ready to make the most of an interview with a journalist from the local newspaper or a nationally-televised news program.

He has trained executives from many of Australia s top-100 companies from the most senior CEO through to senior management corporate affairs personnel and entry-level media officers.

Sam s journalistic career included engaging, either as a writer, interviewer or manager, with every Prime Minister from Gough Whitlam to the present. Prior to his role as Managing Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald, he worked in a number of senior positions at Fairfax including serving as Chief of Staff during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He also was the Fairfax representative on the Australian Press Council for a number of years. Prior to joining Fairfax, he worked as an on-camera reporter for television news.