Hardie Grant Media acquires Keep Left to expand indie network

Hardie Grant Media has acquired creative communications agency Keep Left, strengthening its position as one of Australia’s leading independent marketing networks.

Founded in 2001 by Caroline Catterall (pictured, left), Keep Left operates in Melbourne and Sydney with a focus on blending PR and creative to deliver earned-led campaigns. Clients include Australia Post, ANZ, Guide Dogs, Experian, Great Southern Bank, Charter Hall and St Vincent de Paul.

“Caroline and Gill have built a brilliant agency with a clear point of view, a strong team, and deep client relationships,” Craig Somerville, group managing director of Hardie Grant Media, said. “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 sit alongside Hardie Grant Media’s network of specialist shops, including Reload Media, Heads & Tales, Tide Communications and production studio Sherpa. Its leadership team remains in place, with Catterall continuing as managing director and business partner Gillian Gosling as head of PR.

“It’s been an incredible journey building Keep Left into the agency it is today,” Catterall said. “Joining Hardie Grant marks an exciting new chapter for us as a levelled-up indie. For our clients, it will mean access to more integrated thinking, specialist capabilities and creativity. For our team, it brings new colleagues, new growth opportunities, and the chance to collaborate across a broader national network.”

The acquisition also includes Keep Left’s proprietary earned media evaluation tool, Impact Score, recently updated with OpenAI to automate coverage logging and offered as a subscription to agencies and in-house teams worldwide.

Nick Hardie-Grant, chief executive of the broader Hardie Grant Group, said he has "long admired" Keep Left and its reputation for delivering meaningful work.

"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,” he said. 

The move brings Hardie Grant Media’s headcount to 130 across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, while the broader Hardie Grant Group employs 220 people, spanning publishing, digital ventures and marketing services.