The Team
Our consultants deliver the highest standard of strategic communication advice in Tasmania
Our consultants deliver the highest standard of strategic communication advice in Tasmania
Learn more about Timmins Ray’s public relations services and trainings or contact us to discuss your communication needs.
Jacquie Ray
Managing Director
Jacquie Ray BA, FPRIA Managing Director – Timmins Ray Public Relations
Over her 15-year career as a strategic communication specialist, Jacquie has advised and counselled state and federal government agencies, public corporations and NGOs in Australia and the United Kingdom. She has particular expertise in crisis and issues management, stakeholder and community engagement, media and publicity and strategic marketing.
Jacquie is a former Deputy National President and Tasmanian State President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia.
Before establishing Timmins Ray, Jacquie worked with another Tasmanian consultancy for nearly 10 years, managing a portfolio of major clients and providing specialist counsel on a diversity of issues, ranging from strategic communication and stakeholder engagement to media/publicity and reputation management.
In London, Jacquie held the executive position of Manager Communication and Engagement in a high-profile, joint initiative between the UK Ministry of Defence and Department of Environment.
In that role, she was responsible for managing and developing both internal and external communication strategies to engage a challenging stakeholder group, comprising Ministers, political advisers, national media and staff drawn from two separate ministries.
Jacquie has been an industry mentor to Journalism, Media and Communication students at the University of Tasmania. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Journalism/Media Studies and French from UTAS.
michael stedman
Director Public Affairs
Michael Stedman - Director Public Affairs
Michael Stedman started his career as a journalist and has worked at the highest levels in Tasmanian media and politics for two decades. As a senior political reporter at both the Examiner and Mercury newspapers, Michael closely observed and reported on the personalities, issues and major events in Tasmanian politics.
In 2010 he began working as the Premier’s press secretary, which provided a unique insight into the workings of minority government. Michael went on to serve as Chief of Staff to the Labor Opposition – a dynamic and challenging role involving the coordination of political strategy, communication, policy development and legislative analysis. He has earned a reputation for being level-headed, hard working and for maintaining respectful relationships across the political aisle.
Michael brings his skills in communication, strategy and crisis management to the Timmins Ray team. He also has an extensive professional network that extends across State, Territory and Commonwealth Parliaments and the business and community sectors in Tasmania. Michael is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia.
rohan wade
Stakeholder Relations
Rohan Wade - Manager Stakeholder Relations
Rohan Wade has an extensive career in communications and issues management, with experience in media, politics and health administration. His journalism career spanned 10 years working both interstate and in Tasmania, including at The Examiner and The Mercury. He worked in the office of three Tasmanian premiers as a press secretary, regional head of office and media office director, forging an excellent understanding of Tasmania’s political landscape and contemporary media management skills.
In 2015, Rohan was appointed Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Director at Tasmania’s Department of Health, overseeing communications and media strategies for the past six years, including the Public Health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highly skilled in crisis-response communications, media strategy, stakeholder engagement, campaigning and internal communications, Rohan brings experience in analysing fast-moving issues and developing communication strategies that achieve genuine and solid outcomes.
emily woodgate
Senior Consultant
Emily Woodgate - Senior Consultant
Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Journalism, Media and Communication and a Bachelor of Law (Honours) from the University of Tasmania.
She began her career as a journalist with the ABC in Tasmania working across radio, television and online for both news and current affairs.
Emily has since spent her career working in Oslo, Norway, managing digital strategy, content and stakeholder engagement for a global risk management foundation operating in more than 100 countries.
As a specialist in digital communication strategy, Emily’s experience has focused on ecosystems, content and analysis; online crisis and reputation management; CEO profiling and privacy management; and innovation communication.
She has a passion for business innovation, sustainable development, and turning complex topics into compelling stories. She is also an experienced innovation facilitator.
From her time in Scandinavia, Emily brings a global perspective to business communication and digital engagement.
laura verdouw
Senior Consultant
Laura Verdouw - MPIRA - Consultant
Laura has ten years’ professional experience across most facets of corporate communication, including media relations, internal communication, brand and digital communication.
For the past decade, Laura has been responsible for developing, implementing and managing successful communication strategies for local government, including the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT), as well as other enterprise organisations. Most recently, she led a digital campaign to encourage diversity in local government elections.
Laura brings a unique perspective to consultancy, having been a local business owner herself, and having spent most of her career working alongside engineers, scientists, analysts, and project managers. Laura is at home turning complicated information into understandable and relatable stories.
With a passion for strategic communication and social media campaigns, Laura is masterful at effectively and efficiently weaving meaningful content together to deliver qualifiable outcomes.
Having started academic studies later in her career, Laura is near to completing a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies, majoring in Public Relations. She is also a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia.
greg ray
Principal
Greg Ray - Principal
Greg began his career as a political journalist with the ABC in Tasmania. He was both a soldier and a war correspondent in Vietnam and later a political adviser to several Cabinet Ministers before starting-up in business for himself. Over a 25-year period, he built an enterprise comprising:
- Public relations consultancies in Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and Auckland,
- An advertising agency,
- A political reporting service,
- A personnel consultancy and
- A weekly newspaper.
The public relations interests were subsequently acquired by global giant Hill & Knowlton – the world’s second largest strategic communication firm – and Greg was appointed the company’s Managing Director in Australia.
After four years with H&K, he took an extended sabbatical before accepting an invitation to join Royce Communication and Business Strategists in Melbourne as its Special Senior Counsel. He returned to Tasmania late in 2013.
Greg is regarded as one of Australia’s leading corporate strategists advising companies as diverse as Rio, Exxon Mobil, AAMI, Telstra, Kraft, Master Foods, Mitsubishi, Pfizer, Tourism Victoria and Fairfax Publications.
He has also advised and assisted Federal, State and Local Governments on strategic planning, public awareness and stakeholder management campaigns as well as crisis and issues management programs.
During his career Greg has won a trove of national and international awards for excellence in strategic planning and corporate communication.
