First Nations-led business YarnnUp has appointed Fiona Johnston as Managing Director. Johnston has held senior executive roles at UM ANZ, IPG Global Mediabrands, MediaCom AU, Havas EMEA and, most recently, dentsu ANZ. She has worked with businesses including The Coca-Cola Corporation, Tourism Australia, Lion, the Australian Federal Government, Woolworths Group, Optus, PepsiCo International, and Interbrew Europe.
Johnston will oversee management of the business alongside co-founders William Trewlynn and Ray Alam as YarnnUp continues to scale nationally, with plans to invest in new services, talent, and client partnerships to help drive positive impact for First Nations representation across all Australian companies.
“We’re exceptionally proud of what our team has built, and we’ve reached a moment in our growth where realising our full potential means working in a new way,” said Trewlynn, Co-Founder and Director of Creative & Culture.
“Bringing Fiona in as Managing Director does exactly that. Our ambition is bigger than the business and that’s where Fiona’s experience and passion come in. We want to change the way this country understands leadership. We’re sitting on 60,000+ years of knowledge about how to lead, how to relate to one another, how to make good decisions, and I want that in boardrooms and cabinet rooms, treated as real intelligence, not a nice-to-have on the side. My wish is for YarnnUp to be the proof of what’s possible: a First Nations-led business at the forefront of its field, that sets the national standard for this work, and creates real economic opportunity and pathways for Aboriginal people for generations. To not just change how organisations think now, but to create sustainable behavioural evolution too.”
“We’ve always believed our work should create lasting behavioural change, not just tick compliance boxes,” said Alam, Co-Founder and Director of Commercial & Strategy.
“Fiona understands both the commercial realities our clients face and the importance of building organisations that are culturally capable, sustainable and future-focused. As we continue to grow, her leadership will help us scale without compromising the values and purpose that have shaped YarnnUp from day one. For me, it comes back to a simple belief: culture shapes everything, how people think, work, and make decisions, and most organisations have never learned to navigate that well. I see the ability to work effectively across cultural differences as a genuine strategic skill, not a soft one, and one that’s becoming more important as markets become more global and more diverse.”
“I’m excited to help realise the next phase of the YarnnUp business, leading an amazing and talented team, alongside Will and Ray, to ensure our impact and client partnerships can create important work that makes us all proud,” said Johnston.
“Culturally sound, client inspired and commercial success with purpose.”
