Carrie Johnston · The CommsConnector
Your career.
Your reputation.
Your next move.
You tell everyone else’s story. I’ll help you tell yours, and connect you with the people who need to hear it.
Specialist recruiter and career advocate for communications, PR and corporate affairs.
"The right role doesn't just change your career. It changes how you show up in life."- Carrie Johnston, Founder, The CommsConnector
ABOUT CARRIE
The person behind the practice
After more than two decades working at the intersection of communications and talent, I've come to understand something most professionals only learn the hard way: the right role doesn't just change your career. It changes how you show up in life.
I'm Carrie Johnston, Founder & Director of The CommsConnector, and a specialist in recruitment and career coaching for communications, PR, and corporate affairs professionals based in Sydney.
My career has been shaped by years spent in recruitment, getting to know hundreds of organisations and thousands of professionals across the corporate affairs and communications world.
I've seen what makes a hire succeed. I've watched talented people languish in the wrong role. And I've learned that the difference between a good match and a great one almost always comes down to alignment: of values, of culture, of trajectory.
“I take the time to really read people. To understand what's said, and what isn't.”
What sets me apart isn't just the depth of my network in corporate affairs, it's how I use it. I take the time to really read people. To understand what's said, and what isn't. To put someone forward not because their CV matches a job description, but because they're genuinely right for the business they're going into.
For those I coach, I offer something rare in a sector built on spin: radical honesty. I'll challenge your thinking, hold you accountable, and guide you toward decisions that are smarter and more confident. Whether you're navigating a redundancy, questioning your next move, or simply wondering if there's more, I'm in your corner.
In a field that thrives on messaging, my approach is refreshingly direct. Meaningful careers are built on alignment, not luck.
I hold a degree from the University of Sydney and have spent my career embedded in the corporate affairs and communications industry, which means I know the players, understand the pressures, and speak the language of this sector fluently.
What We Do
How I Can Help
Careers aren’t linear. They twist, pause, pivot and leap. My support is built around where you are, not a template. Some clients need one thing. Many come back for more.
Executive Recruitment
I recruit communications, PR, public affairs and corporate affairs professionals in Australia and internationally. I work with a small number of clients at a time. That’s deliberate. You get me, not a junior consultant and a database.
Career Coaching
I work with communications and corporate affairs professionals who are ready to move with intention. Whether you're navigating a redundancy, considering a step up, or simply wondering if there's more, I'll help you get clear, get confident, and get moving.
Advisory for Organisations
Sometimes the problem isn’t finding the right person. It’s the brief, the process or the first ninety days. I work with corporate affairs leaders and People & Culture teams to fix the bits that get overlooked, so your next hire stays and thrives.
Resumes, LinkedIn & Positioning
Most communications professionals are brilliant at telling other people’s stories and stuck when it comes to their own. I help you find the thread that connects your experience, especially if your career hasn’t followed a straight line, and turn it into a resume and LinkedIn profile that open the right doors.
Career Advice & Advocacy
Whether you’re preparing for a big interview, weighing up an offer, navigating redundancy or working out what’s next, I’m in your corner. We work through it together, honestly and practically, so you walk into every conversation clear on your value and confident being yourself.
The CommsConnector Collective
Not every need is a permanent hire. The Collective is a curated network of senior communications and corporate affairs professionals available for fractional, interim and project-based appointments. For organisations, it means experienced leadership exactly when you need it. A crisis, a transformation, a parental leave gap or a function that needs building. Without the time or commitment of a full-time hire. For senior professionals, it’s a way to do meaningful work on your terms, with the right organisations..
NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
That's what the conversation is for. Reach out, tell me a little about your situation, and we'll work out together how I can help.
The CommsConnector Collective
A curated community of senior communications and corporate affairs professionals, available for fractional and interim appointments in Australia and around the world.
For Professionals
You’ve built a career worth using well.
Plenty of senior people don’t want another full-time role. They want interesting work, on their terms, with organisations that value what they bring. The Collective is how I connect you with it.
First look at fractional, interim and project appointments, most never advertised
Connection with senior peers who are building careers the same way
Market insight on what organisations need and what they’re paying
Small, facilitated roundtables on the issues that matter at your level
A direct, personal relationship with me
Membership is by application and deliberately small. I know every member personally. That’s the whole point.
For Organisations
Senior expertise, without the full-time headcount.
Sometimes you need an experienced leader now. To cover a gap, steer through a crisis, lead a transformation or build a function properly. The right person for that is rarely job hunting, and rarely on a job board.
Senior professionals I know and trust, ready to step in
Fractional, interim and project-based appointments
Discreet handling of sensitive or confidential briefs
People who add value from day one, not month three
Honest advice on the market, rates and what will actually work
Particularly useful when the timing is tight, the stakes are high, or you need senior capability without a permanent hire.
Ready to join the Collective?
Interested in joining or accessing The Collective?
Real people. Real results.
The measure of this work isn't the placement - it's what happens next.
Navigating redundancy at a senior level is confronting - Carrie made it manageable. She helped me reframe the experience, rediscover my value, and approach the market with real confidence. She didn't treat me like a CV. She treated me like a person with a career worth investing in. I'm now in a role I'm genuinely proud of, and I credit that largely to her.
General Manager, Corporate Affairs ASX-Listed Business, Australia
Carrie is an exceptionally caring coach. She's clear, practical, and genuinely invested in your growth - all while keeping you supported and accountable. She challenges your thinking and guides you towards smarter, more confident career decisions. Her insight, support, and honesty make all the difference. I couldn't recommend Carrie more highly to anyone looking to level up professionally.
Head of Communications Listed Company, Sydney
Carrie is wonderful to work with, and I'm fortunate to have had her in my corner on many occasions. She is smart, driven, connected and incredibly savvy. She's also unlike any recruiter you have worked with. What sets her apart is her ability to really read people - clients and candidates. She will take the time to get to know you, to read between the lines, and put you forward for a position that is genuinely right for you and the business you're going into. Five stars, no notes!
Senior Communications Professional Corporate Affairs, Sydney
WORK WITH ME
Let's have a real conversation
No automated sequences. No outsourced intake calls. When you reach out, you reach me - Carrie.
How can I help you?
Whether you're an individual thinking about your next career move, an organisation with a critical communications hire to make, or curious about The CommsConnector Collective, I'd love to hear from you.
I work with a focused number of clients at any one time, which means when you reach out, you get me. Not a coordinator, not an automated sequence, not a form response. Just an honest conversation about where you are and where you want to be. Fill in the form below and I'll be in touch within one business day.
For
INDIVIDUALS
If your career feels stuck, uncertain, or like you've lost your spark, you're not alone, and you're in the right place.
I work with communications and corporate affairs professionals at every stage of a career transition: from the first moment of doubt to the day you accept the right offer. Tell me a little about your situation and we'll go from there.
For
ORGANISATIONS
If you're looking to hire in communications, PR, public affairs, or corporate affairs, or if you've made a hire that hasn't worked out and want a more considered approach,
I can help. I work with a small number of organisational clients at a time to make sure every search gets the attention it deserves.
For
THE COLLECTIVE
If you're a senior communications or corporate affairs professional interested in joining
The CommsConnector Collective, I'd love to know more about you. Express your interest below and I'll be in touch with details.
LET'S CHAT
Get in touch
Connect with me
Where you are now, what has prompted you to reach out, and what a good outcome would look like.
That is enough for me to know whether I can help and what to suggest next.
Connecting talent. Creating opportunities. Empowering careers.
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