Rowland

What Rowland does

Rowland is an independent Australian strategic communication consultancy founded in 1992 in Brisbane by Geoff Rodgers. It operates as a full-service integrated agency serving enterprise and government clients across mining and resources, infrastructure and government, finance and investment, property, sport and leisure, agribusiness, and education. Services span Corporate Affairs, Creative, Digital, Training & Development, Strategy & Insights, Sport, Campaigns, and Reporting, delivered through a senior-led consultancy model on project and retainer bases.

The firm sells differentiated expertise in reputation management, investor relations, issues and crisis communication, and stakeholder engagement for listed companies and large institutions. Underlying delivery relies on a 'data-led' communication methodology combining visual, written, spoken and digital channels, supported by a proprietary analytics product called StreetSmart that aggregates newsfeed data and produces sentiment analysis reporting across client brands and stakeholder groups. International reach is delivered indirectly through a long-term affiliation with FleishmanHillard (and by extension the Omnicom network), giving Rowland and its clients access to 80+ global offices without operating them.

Rowland's commercial model is professional services fee-for-engagement (project and retainer), with no publicly disclosed pricing. It is privately held by founders and senior executives, including Founder/Chairman Geoff Rodgers, Managing Director Alasdair Jeffrey, and Group Senior Executive Helen Besly, who collectively own the firm with no external private equity or venture capital backing. As of 2022, Rowland reported approximately 45 employees and contractors operating from Brisbane with a newer Sydney presence launched in 2021.

Name

Rowland

Legal name

Rowland Pty Ltd

Website

https://rowland.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rowland is a privately held Brisbane-headquartered strategic communication consultancy, founded in 1992, serving enterprise and government clients across mining, infrastructure, finance, property, and sport in Australia, with integrated corporate affairs, digital, creative, training and strategy services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communication Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF), Data Analytics & Business Intelligence Services (BPAHALAC), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA), Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Strategic communication consulting
• Corporate affairs advisory
• Public relations services
• Investor relations consulting
• Digital communication strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communication Consulting: Professional consulting services for corporate affairs, strategy, insights, and communication advisory provided on project and retainer basis to enterprise clients
2. Creative Services: Creative services including brand, graphic design, advertising, campaigns, and reporting
3. Digital Services: Digital strategy, design, websites, and data reporting services
4. Training & Development: Corporate training and development programs, including communication and leadership skills training

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rowland is a strategic communication consultancy that delivers an integrated portfolio of corporate affairs, creative, digital, training & development, strategy & insights, sport, campaigns and reporting services to enterprise and government clients on a project and retainer basis. The firm combines data-led insights, including proprietary sentiment analysis via its StreetSmart platform, with senior advisory expertise to support corporate reputation, investor relations, issues management, brand development and stakeholder engagement. Clients include listed corporates, government agencies and large institutions across mining, resources, infrastructure, finance, property, sport, professional services, agribusiness and education.

Product overview

Rowland is a full-service strategic communication and advisory firm offering an integrated portfolio of services including Corporate Affairs, Creative, Digital, Training & Development, Strategy & Insights, Sport, Campaigns, and Reporting. The company operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, combining data-led insights with communication expertise. Key offerings include proprietary software StreetSmart for sentiment analysis and platform analytics, supported by their global affiliation with FleishmanHillard providing access to 80+ offices worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Affairs Strategic corporate communication and public affairs services for organisations, including issues management and reputation management, delivered to enterprise and government clients.
• Creative Creative services including graphic design, brand development, advertising and visual communication solutions for enterprise and government clients.
• Digital Digital strategy, website development, data reporting and digital platform implementation including aggregated newsfeed apps and platform analytics for clients.
• Training & Development Communication skills training and professional development programs for organisations, having trained more than 10,000 people through the program.
• Strategy & Insights Strategic consulting and market insights to help organisations with business transformation, growth and data-led communication strategy.
• Rowland Sport Specialised sports marketing, communication, events and sponsorship services for sporting organisations, brands and event operators, leveraging connections across local, national and international sporting domains.
• Campaigns Campaign planning and execution across various channels to drive client objectives and market engagement for enterprise clients.
• Reporting Financial and sustainability reporting services including annual report development and narrative communication for organisations.
• StreetSmart Proprietary sentiment analysis and platform analytics software used by Rowland to measure public sentiment towards brands and organisations and to track digital engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $25 billion in financial transactions supported over 30 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Emma Rugge-PricecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic Advisor appointment to lead Rowland's expansion into Sydney and New South Wales market. Emma brings 25+ years of experience including roles at GE as Head of Marketing and Communications, providing market access and commercial development capability for the Sydney launch.
• FleishmanHillardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term global affiliation with FleishmanHillard, one of the world's largest communication firms. Through this partnership, Rowland and its clients have direct access to expertise in every corner of the globe via 80+ global offices. Rowland is also connected to FleishmanHillard's specialist Olympic and Sports practice and Omnicom network.
• OmnicomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRowland is associated with Omnicom, a NYSE-listed marketing services powerhouse, through its FleishmanHillard affiliation, providing access to international sporting connections and marketing services resources.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SenateSHJ: Australian strategic communication consultancy offering corporate affairs, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement services to enterprise clients. Comparable to Rowland in headcount scale, domestic focus, and integrated advisory positioning.
• Brunswick Group: Global strategic advisory firm specializing in critical issues, IR, and CEO-led communications. Directly comparable to Rowland's listed-company and transaction advisory practice, and notably relevant given MD Alasdair Jeffrey's prior tenure at Brunswick's London office.
• Cobalt Communications: Australian strategic communications consultancy serving corporate, government, and not-for-profit clients with integrated corporate affairs, issues management, and digital services. Directly comparable in scope and target market to Rowland.
• Sling & Stone: Australian integrated communications agency offering PR, content, and digital services to consumer, technology, and corporate clients. Comparable mid-sized competitor with overlapping service lines in creative, digital, and content.
• Burson (Australia): Global strategic communications and public affairs firm with an Australian presence, focused on corporate reputation, public affairs, and crisis. Comparable to Rowland's corporate affairs offering; particularly relevant given Helen Besly's prior career at Burson-Marsteller.
• FleishmanHillard Australia: Global PR and integrated communications network with offices across Australia, partner and indirect competitor to Rowland via their formal affiliation. Overlaps on corporate affairs, public affairs, and consumer PR offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Australia: Global communications marketing firm with Australian offices, providing corporate, brand, and public affairs services at larger scale than Rowland. Competes for the same enterprise mandates but with broader portfolio and deeper resources.
• Ogilvy PR Australia: Global creative and PR network with strong Australian presence, offering brand, content, public relations, and influence services. Overlaps with Rowland's creative and digital service lines, with broader consumer reach.
• Hill+Knowlton Australia: Global public relations and integrated communications firm with Australian operations, focused on corporate, public affairs, and crisis communications. Competes for similar enterprise and government clients as Rowland.
• WE Communications Australia: Global communications agency with technology and corporate practices and Australian presence, offering PR, social, and integrated marketing services. Comparable in targeting technology and corporate clients with broader global scale.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rowlandau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rowland
• Instagraminstagram.com/rowland_au

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rowland