Three highly respected senior travel communications figures have joined forces to launch Powerhouse Communications, a new consultancy targeting travel, tourism and hospitality brands across corporate affairs, media strategy and crisis management.
Liza-Jayne (LJ) Loch, Gaynor Reid and Chris Waite bring a combined 90-plus years of industry experience to the venture. Each founder will continue to run their respective consultancies alongside Powerhouse, with those businesses available as additional resources when needed, according to the agency.
The trio say Powerhouse is built around three complementary specialisms: corporate affairs and government engagement, media and influence, and narrative and execution. The agency plans to begin with a select portfolio of foundation clients to maintain senior involvement across every account.
Who is behind Powerhouse Communications?
The founders’ collective client list spans airlines, cruise lines, hotels, destinations, travel tech, and industry bodies. Between them, Loch, Reid and Waite have worked with brands including Accor, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Amadeus, Flight Centre, the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA), Club Med, Scenic Group, Salter Brothers Hospitality and Tourism Western Australia.
Each founder takes a distinct role within the agency. Loch positions herself as the “Strategist,” Reid as the “Connector,” and Waite as the “Simplifier.” The structure is designed to keep senior practitioners close to the work rather than layering in junior staff, the founders say.
What problem is the agency trying to solve?
“Travel brands are operating in a higher-stakes environment than ever – more scrutiny, more competition, more channels, less patience for fluff,” said Loch. “Powerhouse exists for leaders who need calm advice, sharp strategy and the confidence to act – especially when reputation is on the line.”
Reid said the partnership brings together careers built in different areas of influence. “Individually, we’ve each built careers in different lanes of influence. Together, we bring an unfair advantage – deep relationships, strong judgement, and the ability to move quickly from story to traction. It’s a Powerhouse by design,” she said.
Meanwhile, Waite framed the agency as a response to changing client expectations. “The brief isn’t ‘get us coverage’. The brief is ‘help us lead’. We take your pulse, build your profile, and turn communications into something commercially meaningful. And we do it without agency theatre – just experienced people doing work that lands,” he said.
What services will Powerhouse offer?
The agency says it will cover reputation strategy and diagnostics, executive profiling and thought leadership, media strategy, relations and training, corporate and government affairs, crisis preparedness and issues management, destination and place narrative development, and leadership presentation coaching.
Nick Wayland, Founder and CEO of TravMedia, offered an external perspective on the launch. “Travel brands need advisors who understand influence at every level – media, government and industry. Gaynor, Chris and LJ are among the most respected communicators in the industry and bringing that calibre of experience together under one banner is a significant development for the sector,” he said.
Powerhouse enters a market that includes established agencies but positions itself specifically on seniority and specialisation in travel, tourism and hospitality. The agency’s framework centres on what it calls “Pulse. Profile. Power,” which it describes as an assessment of where a brand currently sits, building authority through leadership visibility, and keeping experienced practitioners close to the work.
For more, head to powerhousecommunications.com.au
