Think HQ has announced the appointment of Taryn Marks to the agency leadership team and the role of head of First Nations Engagement and Communication.
Marks will lead the development and expansion of Think HQ’s First Nations communications and engagement function to ensure First Nations thinking and communities are at the heart of the agency’s work.
Her appointment at the agency will support and encourage greater participation by First Nations people in the industry and Marks will also help steward Think HQ’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
Marks comes from a long line of storytellers and educators – she is from Wotjobaluk Country, Wergaia language group and with more recent connections to Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
Her previous roles include outreach manager and senior advisor (Indigenous Policy and Strategy) at SBS and policy project officer at the Lowitja Institute, Australia’s national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research.
Most recently, Marks was general manager of AIME, an organisation that supports First Nations and other young people outside the margins to achieve education equity through structured mentoring and imagination – with the ultimate aim of creating a fairer world.
Marks was also diversity, equity, and inclusion advisor at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.
Think HQ founder and managing director Jen Sharpe said: “Taryn is an incredible addition to the Think HQ team, bringing her wealth of expertise across leadership, strategy, and policy. She’s a fierce advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and I know we’re going to do exciting work together.”
Marks said of her new role: “Stories play a huge role in how we see ourselves and country.
“At Think HQ, I’m eager to ensure First Nations people are represented in the communications and campaigns being told, and I am thrilled to be joining a team that is so committed to making a difference, particularly when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”