Edelman APAC Loses Senior Leaders to In-House Roles

Amber Scotto Di Perta, former chief client officer at Edelman Australia, has joined telecommunications company Optus as associate director of media and corporate affairs, eight months after leaving the agency during industry-wide layoffs.

A Deliberate Exit From Agency Life

Scotto Di Perta spent nearly a decade at Edelman Australia, joining in April 2016 as a director and rising to chief operating officer in 2022 before becoming chief client officer in 2024. Her departure came amid Edelman's 5% global workforce reduction in December 2024, which also saw Sydney-based head of brand Preya McMahon, Melbourne-based corporate reputation director Jana Tsiligiannis, and executive creative director Jamil Bhatti exit the firm.

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Rather than immediately accepting another agency role, Scotto Di Perta took eight months to reassess. She completed fractional marketing work and studied at the Marketing Academy before joining Optus.

"I've really had some time to reflect in the last few months, and what I missed most when working agency-side was the ability to have deeper conversations within an organisation and be part of work that leads to effective change," she told Mumbrella.

At Optus, she reports to Jane McNamara, executive general manager of external communications, filling a maternity leave position previously held by Nicole Higgins. Optus stated she will help communicate the company's role as "critical digital infrastructure" for millions of Australians.

Edelman APAC Loses Multiple Senior Leaders

Scotto Di Perta's move is part of a broader pattern of senior leadership departures from Edelman APAC. APAC CEO Warren Fernandez and APAC chair of public and government affairs Richard Andrew both departed the firm. Former Australian CEO Michelle Hutton moved to Burson as global chief client officer. APAC corporate head Susan Redden Makatoa launched her own consultancy. Head of business marketing for APAC Simon Murphy also started his own company.

Edelman has since announced new APAC appointments, including Pooja Rawat as chief strategy officer and Quang Nguyen as managing director in one market, alongside Matthew Harrington as executive vice chairman globally in October 2025.

Structural Pressures Driving Agency Talent Out

The departures reflect conditions across the wider PR industry. PR agencies are forecast to cut headcount by 15% in 2026, following an estimated 8% reduction in 2025. Pressures include client insourcing, procurement-driven margin compression, and AI automating entry-level tasks such as media monitoring and drafting.

58% of PR professionals cite resource pressures as a top challenge for 2026. Meanwhile, 85% of US B2C executives plan to review their agency relationships in 2026, reducing job security for senior agency staff.

"It was a challenge, but I had a feeling I should stick to my guns, and I'm so grateful that the opportunity came up with Optus," Scotto Di Perta said. "It's worth being patient."

The Rise of Fractional Work as a Transition Model

Scotto Di Perta's eight-month pause, which included fractional marketing engagements, reflects a growing transitional model among senior PR professionals. Rather than moving directly between roles, experienced leaders are using short-term, part-time engagements with multiple clients before committing to full-time in-house positions.

PR specialist employment is projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, with in-house corporate roles expected to benefit most from the insourcing trend. Agencies, by contrast, face ongoing consolidation pressure as private equity targets specialized firms with recurring revenue models.