THE FOUNDERS
Mike Spirkovski
Throughout his career, Mike has focused on ideas that don’t just get noticed. They influence behaviour, shift national conversations and leave a lasting mark on society.
He has created a range of widely recognised national and global initiatives, including co-founding Earth Hour for WWF, building Toyota’s LandCruiser Emergency Network, creating Westpac’s Rescue Rashie and launching the national Donation Dollar for the
Royal Australian Mint. His work consistently connects creativity with real-world impact.
Today, Mike works with leaders across industry, government and community on policy-adjacent challenges spanning culture, climate, energy, manufacturing and sovereign capability. His focus is on work that influences policy, shapes public understanding and delivers lasting change where it matters most.
Vanessa Liell
Vanessa is a strategic communications and corporate affairs professional with over 25 years' experience in corporate affairs, agency leadership and entrepreneurship.
As Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Herd MSL, Vanessa led one of Australia's largest and most awarded public relations agencies for more than a decade.
In 2017, Herd MSL was acquired by Publicis Groupe, joining one of the world’s top five advertising networks.
Vanessa is the winner of B&T's Women in Media PR Leadership Award, a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, a member of Chief Executive Women, and a Casual Academic at UTS Sydney's School of Communications.
