Fiona Johnston

Fiona Johnston, as Managing Director at YarnnUp, leads the management of the business alongside our co-founders, driving commercial growth and the quality of everything we deliver for clients. Her arrival marks a new chapter for YarnnUp as we scale our impact as Australia’s leading First Nations led consulting, creative and capability agency.
Fiona joins YarnnUp after a distinguished career at the most senior levels of Australian and international media. Most recently she was CEO, Client, Media and Commercial and Practice President, Media at dentsu ANZ, where she held leadership across the media portfolio. Prior to that she served as Global and EMEA Chief Growth Officer at IPG Mediabrands in London, and as CEO of UM Australia, where she led the agency to AdNews Agency of the Year in 2019 and secured major account wins including the Australian Government master media account.
Her earlier career spans CMO and Business Development at MediaCom Australia, Managing Partner at Publicis Mojo, and a Board Director role at Havas in EMEA. Across each of these positions Fiona built a reputation for agency repositioning and transformation, new business and pitch leadership, and the kind of client relationships that endure well beyond a single engagement. In 2019 she was named CEO Magazine Media Executive of the Year.
At YarnnUp, Fiona applies that commercial discipline to a purpose she believes in deeply. She is focused on ensuring the organisation is structured to grow sustainably, that our teams are supported to do their best work, and that our clients experience consistency and care at every stage of their reconciliation journey. Her approach is grounded in the belief that strong commercial foundations are what allow a values led business to create lasting change.
Fiona holds a Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction in Retail Business from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, and is a Graduate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a Master Level Executive Coach through the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership, affiliated with London Business School, and an internationally qualified yoga and meditation teacher. That combination of commercial rigour and genuine care for people is what defines her leadership at YarnnUp.