About Us

We are a team of specialists, not generalists. We are renowned not just for what we do, but how we do it. For nearly two decades, our team has proven, time and again why our clients partner with us long term. Put simply, our success is your success.

We make it our business to know yours.

We immerse ourselves in our clients’ organisations to become an extension of their team, while still maintaining a level of objectivity that enables us to provide fearless, tenacious advice. We measure our success against the degree to which they thrive and embrace accountability as integral to the success of every working relationship.

We have the best people.

We don’t have a B-team. We are credentialed former journalists, Government professionals and lawyers who have made the transition into corporate communications and public relations, bringing with us our contacts and our impeccable IP.

We have the best intel.

We are deeply and seamlessly networked into the highest levels of media, business, industry and government. Our clients, partners and contacts respect our opinion because they know we play it straight.

We get results.

We consistently deliver measurable commercial benefits because we have the right combination of creativity and commercial focus. We don’t make promises we can’t keep and we always deliver beyond expectations.

We take it personally.

The team you meet is the team you work with and they are always on call. By truly partnering with our clients, we deliver the outcomes of a large firm, with the personalised attention that only a boutique business can offer.

Our Team

Gemma Tognini

Founder and Executive Director

Gemma is the founder and Executive Director of GT Communications.

She is a strategic communications and reputation management specialist with 30 years’ experience in corporate life and media, advising both private and publicly held clients in a range of sectors.

Gemma established the firm in 2003 and has overseen the businesses’ strategic growth on a national scale, while fiercely guarding the values that make GT Communications so highly sought after: fearless advice, relationship before transaction.

Gemma currently works at strategic level across the business, with clients in both the corporate and consumer practices, and heads up the reputation management and crisis communications team.

Prior to starting GT Communications, Gemma was a Chief of Staff and broadcast journalist with the Seven Network. In 2014, Gemma was named Business Owner of the Year in the prestigious Telstra Businesswomen’s Awards and was a finalist in the Entrepreneur category in 2017.

She is an opinion columnist with the Weekend Australian, and the West Australian, and a contributing broadcaster on the Sky News network, as well as Macquarie Radio.  Gemma is an experienced international keynote speaker on subjects as diverse as media strategy, crisis and reputation management and developing business culture and sustainable growth.

Gemma has served as a non-executive director of Surf Life Saving WA and The Salvation Army (WA).

Brent Fleeton

Director (WA)

Brent is an experienced PR advisor, who is active and well-connected in Perth’s business and public sector community, having worked across a wide range of industries throughout his career.

He guides his clients through complex scenarios, drawing on his extensive knowledge to provide a high level of advice. He is also experienced at working in the fast-paced environment of campaigns, partnering with clients to capitalise on opportunities, by driving debates and influencing outcomes.

Deeply committed to the future of Western Australia, Brent also serves as a City of Perth Councillor. He has experience chairing the Policy and Legislation Committee, the Audit and Risk Committee, representing Perth on Tamala Park Regional Council and the Development Assessment Panel.

In addition to his current experience in local government, Brent was elected by Perth Racing members in October 2022 to serve as a Non-Executive Director for three years. He has previously worked at NBN, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

Katie Rodwell

Senior Advisor

Katie Rodwell is a senior corporate affairs and communications specialist with a global bank of experience both agency and client side. Katie leads the consumer and retail practice, bringing broad expertise in strategy, planning and campaign management to her work.

Katie has spent nearly 20 years running high impact PR campaigns in both agency and in-house teams across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, consulting across a range of industries including financial services, technology, telecoms, not-for-profit, travel and tourism, government, healthcare and professional services.

She has previously worked with American Express, Toyota, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Paralympic Committee, British Telecom, Motorola, News Limited, Robert Half International and Virgin Money.

Willie Rowe

Specialist Advisor

Willie has over 30 years’ of experience providing corporate affairs advice and support at strategic and operational levels to governments, industry and community sectors. The former Chief of Staff to WA Premier Colin Barnett, Willie worked with GT Communications immediately post that role, before spending three years as the CEO of Screen West.

Willie re-joined us in 2021 bringing three decades of high-level experience and deep, national networks to the team. Willie has a renowned ability to understand the core of complex issues and develop messaging and strategy that delivers commercial and policy outcomes across a range of sectors. He is a stakeholder engagement specialist who understands the intersection of policy and community, with a proven ability to risk manage the most delicate scopes of work.

Brenda Parker

Specialist Advisor

Brenda is a senior communications specialist with strong experience across corporate communications and major infrastructure projects.

She has an innate ability to navigate complex, matrixed organisations, while providing strategic counsel to senior leaders by forming trusted relationships with stakeholders and building high-performing teams.

Brenda possesses strong technical expertise across internal and external communications, issues and reputation management, crisis communications, change communications, restructures, brand and marketing, media relations, and digital presence.

Her management level experience on major infrastructure projects as Communications and Stakeholder Lead provides an invaluable resource for GT Communications.

Lauren Tucker

Senior Advisor

Lauren began her career as a commercial lawyer at one of the largest corporate law firms in Australia. After four years of providing strategic legal advice to blue chip clients across a range of disciplines and industries, she moved in-house as a communications professional and spent the next 10 years honing her craft.

Lauren has worked at a senior management level in complex listed organisations advising across a wide range of industries, including energy, residential and commercial property, mining and resources, construction, retail, hospitality and government. She has six years’ experience working with clients in the property sector (three as a lawyer and three as a communications specialist).

Lauren builds relationships based on integrity and authenticity, an approach that has led to the creation of a well-developed network of media contacts. Lauren’s solid business acumen and keen creative flair mean there is nothing she loves more than crafting strategies and creating stories that help businesses achieve their organisational objectives.

Chloe-Jayne Briffa

Advisor

Chloe-Jayne has a firm foundation in cross-platform broadcast production specialising in live-to-air television, and a well-rounded understanding of the media landscape.

Chloe is a skilled and flexible producer with clear focus on precision. She works instinctively to bring visions to life through various media, applying due diligence and critical thought to approaches and strategy for efficient outcomes. A natural problem-solver, she thinks decisively on her feet and always searches out nuance to apply to produced content.

She has worked across a broad scope of programs at Sky News covering a wide variety of subject matter. Chloe has a keen news sense and works quickly and accurately, and has covered federal and state elections as well as breaking news such as the death of Prince Philip during her time at Sky.

She has a double degree in French and Classics from the University of Western Australia, turning to broadcast shortly after.

Shalisse Thompson

Graduate Advisor

Shalisse joined GT Communications in October 2023, having graduated from Wollongong University with a degree in Communications and Media.

She is a creative, motivated, and dedicated self-starter with a fierce eye for detail. Shalisse has a proven history of outstanding client relations in her career prior to joining our team and has a unique ability to relate to people from all walks of life.

Shalisse takes pressure in her stride, brings a strategic lens and outstanding problem-solving skills to the table every time. She is efficient and disciplined with her time management. Shalisse has an infectious curiosity about the world around her and enjoys staying up to date with news of the day here, nationally and around the world.

Prior to joining GT Communications, Shalisse successfully completed two internships at PolkaDot Communications and Clout Communications in Sydney Australia, roles that required critical thinking, knowledge of PR and concurrently managing multiple clients.

We are delighted to have her as part of our team.