Weber Shandwick leadership launch VOCAL, an earned-first agency built for the AI era 

Much of Weber Shandwick Australia’s leadership team is departing the business, launching a new independent agency called VOCAL as Omnicom moves to end its affiliate arrangement with Weber Shandwick.The team behind Weber Shandwick Australia has announced VOCAL, a new earned-first communications agency built for a world where the rules of influence have fundamentally changed.

Following Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group, Weber Shandwick will transition from an affiliate arrangement to a Weber Shandwick operation within Omnicom Oceania from 20 November 2026, an Omnicom Oceania spokesperson told CB. As part of the transition, Weber Shandwick will operate within Omnicom Oceania’s earned media capabilities business, giving clients access to a broader integrated team spanning PR, social, creators and activation.

The existing Weber Shandwick Australia affiliate arrangement will conclude, with the Australian business continuing to operate independently under a different brand, separate from Omnicom — that new brand is VOCAL, launched by outgoing managing partners Angela Malkin and Jami Gandha.

Launching with foundation clients across corporate, technology, healthcare and consumer sectors, VOCAL is built for a communications landscape where credibility is a competitive advantage.

As AI changes how information is discovered and decisions are made, VOCAL believes brands can no longer rely on awareness alone. They need to Earn Authority by becoming sources that people trust, journalists quote and AI systems reference.

To help clients measure that impact, VOCAL has developed the Earned Authority Index, a proprietary framework that tracks how discoverable, trusted and influential a brand is with both people and AI, creating a clearer link between communications and commercial impact.

Built around a senior-led model, VOCAL combines strategic counsel, earned media, creative campaigns and AI-enabled methodologies, with clients working directly with experienced specialists rather than layers of management. The agency uses AI to remove repetitive work and give its practitioners more time to develop ideas, build relationships and solve business problems.

Says Angela Malkin, Co-Founder and Managing Partner: “For decades, communications has been about earning attention. Today, it’s about Earning Authority.

“The fundamentals haven’t changed. Great ideas, trusted relationships and independent credibility still influence decisions. What has changed is how people find information.

“People search differently. Journalists work differently. AI is becoming another gateway to information. Brands need to become trusted sources across all of them, and that’s why we built VOCAL.”

Says Jami Gandha, Co-Founder and Managing Partner: “Clients are asking for experienced people who stay close to the work, understand their business and deliver measurable commercial impact.

“We use AI to remove administration, not relationships. That gives our team more time to think strategically, create stronger ideas and focus on the work that makes the biggest difference for clients.”

Joining Malkin and Gandha in VOCAL’s leadership team are Addie Freyne, Head of Strategy, who developed the agency’s proprietary methodologies including the Earned Authority Index and IDEAS Engine, and Client Director Akina Taniguchi. They are supported by a broader team of Weber Shandwick talent spanning earned media, corporate communications, healthcare, consumer, creative and strategy.

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