Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Alison Savage

Perth,WA

Summary

I am a motivated communications and media relations specialist with proven track record of driving high-impact strategies and delivering measurable results. A former journalist, I am highly skilled in media outreach, crisis communication, government relations, advocacy and content creation. I have a strong focus on collaboration, stakeholder management and proactive problem solving, and have a demonstrated record of providing quality communications and public relations advice to senior executives.

Overview

20
20
years of professional experience

Work History

Principal Adviser, Media and Government Relations

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA)
08.2023 - Current
  • Responsible for leading media and government advocacy on policy issues impacting WA businesses and the broader economy.
  • Developing, implementing and overseeing public advocacy strategies for CCIWA’s policy agenda, through media and direct government engagement.
  • Proactive and reactive media engagement across a broad range issues, translating complex concepts into audience-focused content.
  • Developing and maintaining relationships with key government stakeholders, including MP’s, staff and departmental decision makers.
  • Direct liaison with political and departmental offices on key policy issues.
  • Identifying media opportunities, emerging issues and potential risks.
  • Developing detailed, long-term government engagement strategies and ensuring alignment with key advocacy goals.
  • Developing direct communications to CCIWA members.
  • Advising the Chief Executive Officer and senior leadership on government engagement strategy, media relations, reputation management and communication best practices, providing strategic guidance on contentious issues.
  • Developing and maintaining relationships with media stakeholders, including journalists, producers, presenters and editorial leaders.
  • Working on tight deadlines to deliver media engagement on complex issues, including outside of regular business hours.
  • Collaborating to deliver effective messaging on membership-focused marketing campaigns.
  • Crafting internal communications in line with organisational goals.
  • Speechwriting for Chief Executive Officer, President and other senior executives.

Senior Communications Officer (Media)

Telethon Kids Institute
10.2020 - 08.2023
  • Responsible for overseeing strategic media and communications activities for the Institute and its key philanthropic and industry stakeholders.
  • Overseeing and executing complex media strategies to promote research outcomes and public health objectives, meet philanthropic goals and drive brand recognition.
  • Developing strategic media and communications plans to reach key objectives, including influencing policy change.
  • Managing a small but busy team of content creators and supporting the professional development of junior staff and managing the budget for my team.
  • Advising senior leadership on media relations, reputation management and communication best practices, providing strategic guidance and recommendations on contentious issues.
  • Writing and co-editing the Institute’s annual Impact Report, showcasing the organisation’s research achievements, as well as other regular publications aimed at philanthropic donors and stakeholders.
  • Delivering media training for Institute staff and researchers, including on-camera presentation skills.
  • Crafting compelling media releases, pitches and social content that ensures a strong brand presence.
  • Driving growth of the Institute’s brand locally, nationally and internationally through earned media activities.
  • Developing and maintaining contacts and relationships in the media and with key stakeholders.
  • Video production and content creation for media, social media and internal communications.

Senior Producer

Nine News
06.2017 - 10.2020
  • Working in the editorial leadership team, developing daily and longer-term news agendas and managing staff and newsroom operations.
  • Editorial decision making for daily news coverage, responsible for which stories are covered and how they are presented.
  • Regularly managing a team of up to 20 staff, including reporters, producers and camera operators, in the role of Executive Producer.
  • Script writing, sub-editing and fact-checking news content under extreme deadline pressure
  • Overseeing delivery of live news events, including rolling coverage of bushfire emergencies, major breaking news events at the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Legal and ethical responsibility for news content.
  • Managing, mentoring and training junior reporters and news producers.

Journalist

ABC News
01.2008 - 06.2017
  • A diverse decade spent in a wide range of different reporting and production roles across the ABC’s news and current affairs division in Melbourne.
  • News gathering, writing and reporting for television, radio and online news and current affairs, across a broad range of topics and rounds.
  • State Political Reporter from the Victorian Parliament House bureau (2010- 2012, 2014-2016), covering State Parliament and local government issues.
  • Election campaign coverage for Federal, State and Local Government elections.
  • Conducting high-profile on-camera interviews with a range of political leaders and decision-makers.
  • Live reporting for TV and radio news and current affairs.
  • Regular secondments to national reporting teams, including Insiders and 730.
  • Editorial decision making under tight deadline pressure.
  • News and feature writing for online, including editorial/opinion content.
  • Radio news reading and sub-editing.
  • Chief-Of-Staff duties.

Journalist

6PR
07.2006 - 01.2008
  • Daily newsgathering, reporting, news reading and sub editing for radio and online news.
  • Reporting for radio news and programs.
  • Radio news reading.
  • Radio news production.
  • Radio program production.

Cadet Journalist

2SM
02.2005 - 07.2006
  • Daily newsgathering, reporting, news reading and sub editing for radio and online.
  • Reporting for radio news and programs.
  • Radio news reading.
  • Radio news production.
  • Radio program production.

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Journalism

Curtin University
Perth, WA
11.2004

Skills

  • Public and media relations
  • Crisis communications
  • Government and industry engagementJournalism
  • Internal communications
  • Multimedia storytelling
  • Media training
  • Sensitive issue management
  • Speech writing
  • Corporate communications
  • Copywriting
  • Social media content creation and management

Timeline

Principal Adviser, Media and Government Relations

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA)
08.2023 - Current

Senior Communications Officer (Media)

Telethon Kids Institute
10.2020 - 08.2023

Senior Producer

Nine News
06.2017 - 10.2020

Journalist

ABC News
01.2008 - 06.2017

Journalist

6PR
07.2006 - 01.2008

Cadet Journalist

2SM
02.2005 - 07.2006

Bachelor of Arts - Journalism

Curtin University

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Alison Savage