Principals welcomes two hires to its employer brand team

Principals, the strategic design consultancy, has welcomed two new hires to its employer brand team.

Ashling Withers returns to the agency as a senior consultant, employer brand. For the past six years, Withers has been with Landor & Fitch where she worked as a brand strategist.

Before that, she spent two years at Principals as a business development manager.

Withers said of her appointment: "It’s great to be back at Principals and to work with Claire in this high-demand space. Employer brands have never been more important. I’m looking forward to helping Australian businesses make a difference from the inside out."

Ashling Withers

Also coming on board is Natasha Ramkissoon, employer brand consultant. Before joining the agency, Ramkissoon worked in recruitment for the marketing industry.

Ramkissoon said: "Having worked in recruitment, I have seen first-hand the challenges organisations face attracting and retaining talent. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to help them change perceptions of their brand."

As Australia grapples with a talent crisis and more businesses are looking to define their position in-market to attract and retain talent, Principals have seen a threefold increase in internal brand projects.

Natasha Ramkissoon

The agency’s employer brand offering, headed up by Claire Gallagher, has expanded to meet the demand.

Gallagher said: "In the past two years, we have seen exponential growth with the focus on employer brand accelerating during Covid. Employees are at the forefront of company agendas in a way we have never seen before.

"Meanwhile, how we all work continues to shift, creating an incredible opportunity for businesses to rethink the way they appeal to talent.

"This is reflected in our expanding strategy team as we provide insights and human-centred design solutions to clients, helping them understand what makes their people tick and redesigning processes and services to enhance the employee experience.

"With all this happening, Ashling and Natasha are joining the team at a crucial time," Gallagher added.