Who we are
Who
we
are
The Action Exchange
Australia
Leonie
Jess
Jess
Our Network
During a decade spent at The Economist Group in Hong Kong and London, most recently as editorial director of events, Jess convened senior leaders across business, policy, science and academia, designing solutions-led forums. Her specialty is integrated engagement: research, analysis, stakeholder engagement and high-level events, all engineered to advance ideas and build brand credibility among the world’s leading companies. She is a widely published author.
Leonie
With a background in research, policy, editorial, and strategic communications, Leonie has held senior roles at think tanks, regulators, and research institutions in North America and Australia. She worked at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and led stakeholder engagement and profiling campaigns for B2B organisations across finance, infrastructure and technology. Her work has been published in the world’s leading business and news publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The New York Times, The Times UK and the BBC.
Australia
We founded The Action Exchange after observing that while Australia has no shortage of marketing or communications agencies, few combine hard-nosed analysis, editorial rigour and the skills to scale engagement exclusively for sophisticated, senior audiences. We knew our experience would enable us to fill that space: applying the tools of think tanks and editorial institutions to help organisations deepen their relationships and lead the conversations that matter most to their future.
The Action Exchange
Our founders have worked together for almost two decades. The partnership began in a policy think tank, where Jess was a research fellow and Leonie led communications and events. The task was to shape public debate by translating analysis into ideas that could cut through media noise and influence decision-makers. Since then we have collaborated across organisations and projects, working on both sides of the client–agency relationship.
Our Network
While The Action Exchange is Australia-based, we have global capabilities and experience, as well as a wide international network. We lead all client projects directly and tap into our network of collaborators to execute with impact. Our network includes quantitative and qualitative researchers, data analysts, tech specialists, subject matter experts, editors, graphic and web designers, videographers, event operations, media relations and social media campaign specialists.
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