Vice Chair Asia Pacific at Edelman, Michelle Hutton, has announced her departure from the company. The 13-year Edelman veteran revealed her intentions on LinkedIn, saying she was finishing up this month, ending her Edelman journey by moderating a panel at the International Women’s Forum Cornerstone Conference in Helsinki titled “The How and Why of Happiness”.

Michelle became Chief Executive of Edelman Australia in 2010 before becoming Global Consumer Marketing Chair in 2014. She moved to London to take on senior operations and management roles with the agency before returning to Sydney in 2019 as CEO of Edelman Australia and Chief Growth Officer for Edelman Asia Pacific.

In her LinkedIn post, Michelle said: "I am leaving Edelman this month, after 13 wonderful years with the agency that has trusted me with leadership roles around the world and given me opportunities that I could not have imagined when I first joined to run the business in Australia.

"A very big and heartfelt thank you to the countless and wonderful colleagues, leaders and mentors around the world that I’ve had the privilege to work with at Edelman. It’s been an honour to learn from you all and I will always be your biggest cheerleader."

Michelle said she has started an extended summer break in the UK and Europe to reflect and re-energise. "People say that courage is the root of change. I’m going to get started on what that could mean for me and what’s next because this industry embraces change and that’s what I plan to do too."

An Edelman spokesperson confirmed Michelle's move: "We can confirm that Michelle Hutton is leaving Edelman. We’d like to thank her for her 13 years of service to our clients and her significant contributions to the firm. We wish her the best in all her future endeavours."