FORWARD is back: Fergus Kibble returns to lead the PR agency he founded, announces partnership with Two Palms Media

Following a 12-month hiatus, the Australian consumer PR agency FORWARD is being relaunched by Fergus Kibble, who built and led it for more than a decade before selling the agency in 2023.

The return of FORWARD coincides with the announcement of a new strategic partnership with Two Palms Media, the social-first creative agency founded by Ed Ringwood. Co-located in Darlinghurst, Sydney, the two specialist agencies will be integrated in delivery, combining earned media, social strategy, creative production and influencer partnerships.

Founded in 2012, FORWARD built a reputation as one of Australia’s leading consumer PR agencies, working with brands including Dove, Kit Kat, Uncle Tobys, Nescafé, Ben & Jerry’s, Lynx, Lindt and the Dry July Foundation. Kibble sold the agency to GrowthOps in 2023 and exited the business in 2024. GrowthOps collapsed in 2025, taking FORWARD and other agencies in the Group with it. Kibble has reacquired the FORWARD brand and IP.

Says Fergus Kibble, Founder and Managing Director of FORWARD: “I am pleased to be bringing FORWARD back. Our core DNA is the same, and we have added capabilities to meet PR’s needs in 2026. Working alongside Ed and the Two Palms team means we can scale immediately and bring earned ideas to market at the velocity of social and with a deeper influencer partnership bench.”

Says Ed Ringwood, Founder and Director of Two Palms Media: “The traditional model of PR in one place and social in another doesn’t work anymore. Culture moves too fast. A story breaks, a conversation starts, a creator picks it up, and if your earned and social teams aren’t connected in real time, the opportunity is already gone. This partnership is built for that reality.”

Says Scott Walker, Executive Creative Director, Two Palms Media: “FORWARD has always had a reputation for creative earned campaigns that get people talking. Pairing that with our social-first creative team changes what we can do for clients: building campaigns where earned and social work together from day one, not bolted together after the fact.”

The combined offer spans communications and brand planning, earned media relations, reputation and issues management, AI visibility, social strategy and community management, creative and in-house content production, influencer and talent management, and events and experiential activation. The team is already working on joint briefs and projects.

Pictured (L-R): Ed Ringwood, Founder and Director, Two Palms Media; Stefanie Jung, Talent & Social Director, Two Palms Media; Fergus Kibble, Founder and Managing Director, FORWARD; Scott Walker, Executive Creative Director, Two Palms Media

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