Canberra public relations guru Kate Lord is now part of a very exclusive club, one that includes communication professionals from the likes of Google, Airtasker, Uber and Wavemaker.
The founder and managing director of the Civic-based Akin Agency Australia has been named on the 40 Under 40 list of leaders in marketing and communications across the Asia Pacific.
The list is compiled each year by industry publication Campaign Asia-Pacific and recognises professionals aged under 40 who show innovation, leadership, concern for the wellbeing of their staff and help develop marketing and communications as an industry.
Ms Lord, a mother-of-three from O'Connor, was thrilled to be included on the list alongside other industry leaders from throughout the region including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and India.
"I'm 39 so I've snuck in right under the marker," she said, with a laugh.
"I feel really proud. It's quite unexpected to have an agency in Canberra to be competing against organisations such as Uber and Airtasker - really big organisations. It's a good moment for us and I feel really proud and really proud of the work we are doing."
Having cut her teeth in London companies including Intel, Sony, HP and Microsoft, Kate moved back to Australia and worked for a number of years as an executive leader at Royal Dutch Shell, leading the organisation's campaigns across the country
Perth-born Kate started the Akin Agency Australian in 2018, settling in Canberra with her born-and-bred husband Mark McCallum. The agency now has 10 staff and ready to grow even more.
She said being based in Canberra helped the agency to bridge the divide between the public and private sectors for its clients.
"We work with massive international, multi-national companies, predominately in the tech sector who value that really unique position," she said.
Kate, who donates part of her agency's profits to Karinya House in Canberra for mothers and babies, was nominated for the 40 Under 40 list by her staff. She was all for women being recognised for their work and being role models for the next generation.
"We need to make ourselves more visible because we're so used to promoting others or promoting causes. You can't be what you can't see and I really take that to heart and am putting myself out there a lot more," she said.
And she was accepting resumes.
"We're growing and we're open to anyone, particularly young women, looking to forge a career. My door's open," she said.
