BRISBANE AGENCIES MERGE AS URBAINE ACQUIRES FRONT COMMUNICATIONS

BRISBANE, Australia, March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialist public relations, stakeholder engagement and communications consultancy Urbaine has announced the acquisition of Front Communications in a merger that cements its position as the agency of choice for Australia's property and infrastructure sectors.

Brisbane-based Urbaine, led by Managing Partners Sarah Dixon and Anita Kharbanda, has won numerous awards since it was founded in 2019 and counts some of Australia's largest developers and asset owners as long-term clients.

Sarah Dixon said the strategic merger formed part of the agency's long-term growth plans.

"Over the past six years Urbaine has transitioned from a boutique to mid-size agency supporting more than $20 billion in new property and infrastructure projects across Australia's residential, commercial, health and industrial markets," she said.

"Greg Bourke and his team at Front Communications are highly respected in our sector and bring additional bench strength to areas of the business we'd already identified as part of our growth.

"At a cultural level, their values, skills and experience complement our own and they bring blue-chip clients and decades of trusted experience to the fold."

Anita Kharbanda said the carefully curated merger has seen the successful transition of people and clients to Urbaine.

"Urbaine operates at the heart of the industries building Australia and we support major developments and community infrastructure throughout the planning and delivery phases to strengthen reputation and relationships, and de-risk commercial objectives," Ms Kharbanda said.

"The combined expertise of our people spans strategic advisory, stakeholder engagement, public relations and issues management, and the merger is a game changer for our clients, and our business.

"The timing couldn't be more impactful, with the property and infrastructure sectors delivering at scale and pace across sport, health, residential, commercial and essential services – and we're right in the thick of it."

Front Communications founder Greg Bourke said the decision to merge with Urbaine reflected a maturing of his agency's workbook and the desire to access a strengthened resource base. 

"This is an exciting step for us, enabling clients to draw on a larger team and expanded service offering," Mr Bourke said.

"It's rare to align so closely with another agency, both in terms of our specialist focus and our values, and I'm excited about the strength of our collective expertise."

The acquisition of Front Communications caps off a busy Q1 for Urbaine, which has also seen the appointment of six new staff members including new Group Director Linda O'Sullivan, who joins the agency after more than two years as AECOM's Transport Strategy and Growth Lead for the ANZ region.

About Urbaine

Urbaine is a multi-award-winning communications and engagement agency specialising in the property, infrastructure and corporate sectors. Founded in 2019, Urbaine's services span strategic advisory, stakeholder engagement, public relations and issues management, with a focus on residential, commercial, health, sport and industrial markets. The agency won CPRA's Boutique Agency of the Year Award in 2023 and 2024 and received a Highly Commended at the 2024 Comms Con Awards for its advocacy work with the Property Council of Australia (QLD). For more information visit www.urbaine.au

About Front Communications

Front Communications is a boutique agency specialising strategic advisory and stakeholder engagement in the property, energy, aviation, education, transport infrastructure, construction, defence, tourism, and sport and recreation sectors. Headquartered in Brisbane, our team has delivered projects across urban and regional Australia, NZ, Asia, and the UK. Front Communications was acquired by multi-award-winning communications and engagement agency Urbaine in February 2026.

SOURCE Urbaine