Indies join forces: Hardie Grant Media Acquires Award-Winning Creative Communications Agency, Keep Left
- The Marketer
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Indies join forces: Hardie Grant Media Acquires Award-Winning Creative Communications Agency, Keep Left
Hardie Grant Media has acquired creative communications agency Keep Left, reinforcing its position as one of Australia’s leading independent marketing networks.
Founded by Caroline Catterall in 2001, Keep Left is a Melbourne and Sydney-based agency that blends PR and creative to deliver earned-led campaigns across financial services, technology, sustainability, property, NFP, and the public sector. Its clients include Australia Post, ANZ, Guide Dogs, Experian, Great Southern Bank, Charter Hall, and St Vincent de Paul.
The acquisition sees Keep Left join Hardie Grant Media’s network of specialist agencies, including digital media agency Reload Media, content agency Heads & Tales, PR & influencer agency Tide Communications, and production studio Sherpa.
Catterall and business partner Gillian Gosling, who joined in 2009 and became a shareholder in 2015, will continue to lead the agency as Managing Director and Head of PR, respectively.
Craig Somerville, Group Managing Director of Hardie Grant Media, said:
“Caroline and Gill have built a brilliant agency with a clear point of view, a strong team, and deep client relationships. Keep Left’s earned-first approach and creative thinking make it a great fit for our group. We’re excited to welcome them and look forward to what’s next.”
Keep Left will continue to operate under its own brand and leadership team, with all staff joining Hardie Grant Media – including Executive Creative Director Blair Kimber and Head of Creative and Content, Johanna Murray.
The Keep Left team will move into Hardie Grant’s offices in Melbourne and Sydney with access to a broader network of specialist marketing capabilities and collaboration opportunities across the group.
Caroline Catterall, Founder and Managing Director of Keep Left, commented:
“It’s been an incredible journey building Keep Left into the agency it is today. Gill and I are so proud of the team, the work, and the client partnerships we’ve nurtured over the years. "
“Joining Hardie Grant marks an exciting new chapter for us as a levelled-up Indie. For our clients, it will mean access to even more integrated thinking, specialist capabilities and creativity – which will help us reach audiences in new and innovative ways."
“For our team, it brings new colleagues, new growth opportunities, and the chance to collaborate across a broader national network. Most importantly, we’re joining a group that genuinely values its people and culture. We’re energised by what’s ahead.”
The acquisition includes Keep Left’s proprietary earned media evaluation tool, the Impact Score, which was recently updated with OpenAI to automate coverage logging and is now available by subscription to agencies and in-house teams across Australia and worldwide.
Nick Hardie-Grant, Chief Executive Officer of Hardie Grant – which includes book publishing business Hardie Grant Publishing and HGX, the group’s digital venture studio – added:
“We’ve long admired Keep Left and its reputation for delivering meaningful work. In addition to the impressive team, the Impact Score is a genuinely exciting product with huge potential and a real point of difference for our agencies. With the support of the broader business and continued investment we’re looking forward to helping it reach its full potential.”
Following the acquisition, Hardie Grant Media comprises 130 staff across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The broader Hardie Grant Group, including its publishing arm and venture studio HGX, employs 220 people.
Key clients include Mercedes-Benz, Yamaha, Nintendo, Soda Stream and BIG4.
About Hardie Grant Media
Hardie Grant Media is an independent, Australian-owned marketing network that has helped brands tell stories, perform better, and connect meaningfully with their audiences for over 25 years. Through a group of specialist agencies – including Heads & Tales, Reload Media, Tide Communications and Sherpa – the network offers full funnel marketing services across digital, content, production, communications and media.
Hardie Grant Media is a division of Hardie Grant, a global publishing, media and marketing group with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, San Francisco and Manila.
About Keep Left
Founded in 2001, Keep Left is a creative communications agency that works at the intersection of PR, creative and content. With earned media at its core, the agency delivers campaigns that earn attention and drive results.
