Liane Gawne spring-boarded into the world of public relations with tertiary qualifications in communications management, business and journalism. After blazing a trail in the education and utility sectors, she was named “Young Practitioner of the Year” by the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand and set her sights on Sydney.
On arrival in Australia, Liane’s natural gift for public relations saw her entrusted to take care of some of NSW’s most high profile and sensitive public issues, utilising her issues management and change communications experience. This career path also gave her the chance to perfect her PR skills for international media relations, community awareness campaigns, stakeholder communications, product launches, event management and promotions.
Following a successful tenure as Public Affairs Manager at the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, Liane decided it was time to find a better work-life balance and moved to the Riverina region of NSW, for a “tree change”. In 2004 she founded Sauce Communications and set about partnering organisations throughout city and country regions.
By taking the time to understand the individual language and commercial landscape of each and every client, the success of the Sauce approach has left Liane busier than ever and with a trophy cabinet coveted by multi-national firms Australia-wide….and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
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With a knack for assessing threats and opportunities for her clients – in any given scenario – Liane’s serious talent lies in being able to plot an effective course of action that strengthens their reputation while achieving the best possible results for all stakeholders – even those who are adversely affected! Despite being small in stature, her professionalism and genuine approach stand tall among the crowd of PR people.
As the boss, Liane loves finding (and hiring) public relations practitioners who live and breathe the Sauce approach. The traditional agency relationship almost ceases to exist at Sauce, which sees itself as part of its client’s communications team. There’s no “us” and “them”….at Sauce, it’s “we” and “our”.
Liane has a stack of successes under her belt, but one of her favourites involves a client that engaged Sauce on a range of individual projects, which were so successful they decided to outsource their public affairs function to Liane and the team. This client tells Sauce that it was our structure and skill mix that gave us the edge in winning this contract, citing our ability to work in their offices – across multiple locations – as team members rather than consultants, and pull in additional resources to tackle large, and time-sensitive issues.
What Liane loves more than anything else about this and other long-term clients, is the partnership that’s evolved over the years, as Sauce has worked with them to breathe life into their communications strategies. Above all, they share the Sauce belief that there’s absolutely no room in the mix for complacency….which is a recipe for success in any relationship.

Liane Gawne

Founder & Chair

Dee Wilkes-Bowes

Senior Account Director

A seasoned rural and agriculture communications all-rounder with a wealth of policy development experience, there’s no going past Dee Wilkes-Bowes. Her track record includes senior positions such as Manager Government Relations at Austrade and Director Rural Affairs at NSW Farmers’ Association.
Dee has managed stakeholder relations at the most senior of levels, with responsibility for consultation processes on a wide range of issues, from telecommunications and regional development to rural health and drought relief. Praised for her ability to adapt to any organisation, Dee’s excellent writing skills combined with her analytical skills means she presents ideas and issues in a clear and engaging way.
Prior to joining Sauce, Dee was the brains behind the development of the Youthlink group within the NSW Farmers’ Association and the first Young Farmers Forum, which was designed to engage young farmers in the policy making process. These initial forums were the catalyst for other national forums, local groups and policies relating to young people in agriculture.
A perfect fit for Sauce, Dee was raised on a property in western New South Wales and has lived in the country most of her life, developing a close affinity with the land and a love of agriculture. So much so, Dee and her husband purchased a Riverina property, and today run a grazing operation to complement their off-farm work.
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Dee was all set to study art history and become a teacher after leaving high school until a chance conversation on the train home from boarding school made her change to an agricultural economics degree – something she had previously never heard of. A change in direction that was meant to be, as it led Dee to a career she loves and led us to Dee!
The ability to work with a range of people, issues and industry sectors is what Dee thrives on, but that’s not all she loves about Sauce. In her own words, “I love the variety and the fact that Sauce is a regionally based company, passionate about rural issues, but which delivers as effectively for metropolitan-based businesses as it does in rural areas.”
Dee played an invaluable role in helping a government client promote important new research to the agricultural industry. She successfully translated the research into language and platforms that resonated with people interested in the future of agriculture and rural communities, including industry, policy-makers, producers and community members. Dee exceeded all the client’s expectations, while making a positive contribution to rural Australia in the process. At Sauce, we call that a win-win!

Kristy Howden

Senior Account Director

Kristy is a dynamic marketing and communications strategist with extensive experience in brand building, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications — particularly within the wine and retail sectors. She has led marketing for some of the world’s most renowned brands, including Henschke, Piper-Heidsieck, Moët Hennessy, and Rémy Cointreau, and brings additional experience from the film industry with AusFilm International.
With a proven track record in complex environments, Kristy places strong emphasis on fostering meaningful relationships. She is passionate about creating aspirational brand positioning and delivering strategies that not only meet but exceed business objectives. Her expertise spans marketing management in Australia and internationally, leveraging insights and data to maximise client success, and executing highly effective integrated campaigns. She also brings deep experience in event management, stakeholder engagement, and influencing cross-functional teams in fast-paced, high-pressure settings.
In 2020, after many years in Sydney, Kristy and her family moved to the beautiful Nambucca Valley on the Mid North Coast of NSW, where they acquired an organic pecan and garlic farm. This move has fuelled her passion for regional living, sustainable agriculture, and protecting the natural environment for future generations. Outside of work, Kristy enjoys farm life with her young children and creating recipes that showcase her homegrown garlic and pecans.
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At Sauce, we love Kristy’s infectious energy and genuine passion for helping brands shine. She combines big-picture strategy with a down-to-earth approach that instantly builds trust. From global brand campaigns to regional storytelling, Kristy thrives on bringing people together, creating ideas that spark, and delivering results with heart.
Kristy loves working with clients of all sizes, from multinationals to small regional businesses, each playing a vital role in the fabric of regional Australia. Her favourite part is delivering meaningful results and working as a true extension of her clients’ teams, celebrating success together.
Leading projects that balance big-picture strategy with regional authenticity, seeing clients’ reputations grow stronger and knowing Sauce played a pivotal role.

Jessica Kanaley

Account Director

For almost a decade Jessica has been entrusted to manage some of Australia’s biggest agricultural brands and events. Think Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, Australia Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA), the Merino Company and Stock & Land (Fairfax Media) to name a few.
At ALFA, the peak body for the grain fed cattle industry, Jessica was responsible for managing all membership communications and stakeholder engagement including the seamless execution of two of the industry’s largest events – BeefEx and SMARTBEEF attracting more than 500 delegates.
Operating based on the mantra ‘cool heads will prevail’, Jessica’s calm and considered approach makes her someone you want on your team – especially when the stakes are high. Did we mention Jessica was tasked with managing the livestock pavilion for the Royal Melbourne Show, Victoria’s largest community event, which attracts around 500,000 visitors each year?
It’s undeniable Jessica has an innate understanding of and a genuine passion for regional Australia. Raised on a cattle property near Benalla, North East Victoria Jessica’s love of the land has never wavered, spending her university holidays wrangling livestock as she completed a Bachelor of Business (Agribusiness). She was an Emerald Grain 100 Women in Australian Agribusiness nominee and winner of the 2014 Woolworths Agriculture Business Scholarship.
Now living in Griffith NSW, she remains firmly connected to the agribusiness sector through her work at Sauce and volunteer roles, previously serving on the Board of the Future Farmers Network, and the Executive Committee of the Victorian Farmers Federation Young Agribusiness Professionals.
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A 400 pax industry event in Brisbane, multiple regional roadshows and a conference in Echuca…Jess jumped into Sauce event planning, RM Williams and all, from the moment she arrived. Exactly the kind of can-do team attitude Sauce is renowned for!
With the love for all things rural, regional and agricultural, Jess has found her fit at Sauce by working with clients that specialise in these areas, and with a team that cares as much about this space as she does!
Jess is all about relationships, deadlines, detailed to-do lists and delivery. That means working in a role where she takes a true partnership approach to bring to life multiple projects for multiple clients (all at the same time!) is a match made in event heaven.

Sam Pianca

Senior Account Manager

From big picture thinking to fine detail delivery, Sam brings her sharp eye to every project. You can be confident that her meticulous planning, innovative thinking, and results-orientated approach will produce excellent results, start to finish.
Sam specialises in digital marketing, social media management, strategic marketing planning, events management, and content creation – all of which require exceptional organisation, communication and attention to detail. Sam thrives in a dynamic environment, constantly adapting and learning new skills to ensure she can respond to any situation.
With an interest in marketing psychology, Sam has a talent for prompting desired action from target audiences. Combined with her skills in copywriting, she delivers powerful written and visual communications.
Leeton born and bred and with a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing and Public Relations) from the University of Wollongong, Sam understands the wants and needs of rural Australia and how to deliver the goods.
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Sam’s reply 99% of the time to any request is “no problem, on it”. The other 1% it’s “sure thing”. Sam is always ready to put her hand up; whether it’s for an exciting new project or a day-to-day task. And if she doesn’t know how to do something you can be sure she will find a way to figure it out!
Sam says not only is Sauce a unique team, but we serve unique clients. She loves a good challenge and is constantly looking for something new to learn, so working at Sauce gives her the variety in clients she loves and team she can depend on. In short, we tick all her boxes!
Did we mention Sam loves learning? In her first two weeks, she not only attended, but worked her first corporate Sauce event. Sam says having only ever been involved in public or internal events, this opened a new door and a new opportunity to expand her skills.

Jemima Heath

Account Manager

With a genuine flair for all things events, Jemima Bargery is your go-to guru for everything from brainstorming wild ideas to flawlessly executing them on the big day.
After a successful eight-year career in local government, Jemima is an ace at project management, organisation, and juggling her time — successfully executing multiple major internal projects.
Since joining us Jemima has successfully managed end-to-end the Australian Assurance Summit, a large industry event targeting fresh produce, supply chain, horticulture, and wine industry sector leaders. And she’s also jumped in wholeheartedly supporting on multiple other medium to large scale corporate events.
Jemima isn’t just about nailing down logistics; she’s a true people person. Her superpower? Building incredible connections with clients, vendors, and partners alike. Her excellent communication skills, professionalism and warm demeanour make her a pleasure to work with - she will always take the time to understand her client’s vision and goals and works closely with them to create a tailor-made event that exceeds their expectations.
Hailing from the Snowy Mountains originally, Jemima calls Leeton home and brings that special touch of regional charm to every project. Her energy, passion and commitment to excellence make her a fantastic ingredient at Sauce!
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Jemima’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious, always willing to go above and beyond she loves continuous improvement and is the queen of systems and processes!
Sauce embodies everything that fuels Jemima's career passion. Jemima says the connections within the team and outside are truly authentic, making it an absolute honour to collaborate with the empowering and inspiring group of women at Sauce each day. She loves the fresh challenges and opportunities for learning, ensuring no two days are the same and the firsthand exposure to diverse industries through events adds an extra spark to her role, making it a definite highlight.
Jumping straight into it from the get-go, in Jemima’s first eight months at Sauce, she worked on and attended six corporate Sauce events from medium to large-scale and high-level functions. The Australian Assurance Summit has been Jemima’s highlight, having the opportunity to manage the Summit from the start to its very successful execution.

Clare Mattingly

Account Manager

Clare holds a Bachelor of Business with a major in Event Management from La Trobe University and is skilled in creating impactful events and building strategic partnerships. Originally from Wagga Wagga, she has a deep understanding of the Riverina and regional Australia.
After gaining valuable experience in Melbourne, including her role at Visit Victoria, Clare was eager to return to regional Australia and is now based in Echuca Moama.
With expertise in end-to-end event and project management, community engagement, partnerships, and tourism, Clare has developed a diverse career across the government, education and not-for-profit sectors.
She excels in managing stakeholder relationships and collaborating across teams to deliver exceptional experiences. Clare approaches each project with a solution-focused mindset, outstanding organisational skills and a genuine, personable touch.
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Whether she’s running events, juggling projects or filing emails in her meticulously organised inbox, Clare’s organisational skills are second to none. Deadlines and detail are her love language, and she sprinkles calm, clarity and a bit of humour on everything she does.
It’s the people. The team is always supportive, and collaboration comes naturally. Every task matters and every achievement, both professionally and personally, is celebrated. Plus, there’s always something new to learn. Just when you think you’ve mastered something, a new challenge appears.
Clare thrives on finding and supporting local suppliers, bringing together the best regional talent to create unforgettable events for a client. One of her favourite Sauce moments was taking the One Basin CRC Annual Event from conception to execution, with exceptional suppliers from remote Queensland by her side.

Tracy Elton

Executive Assistant

Tracy brings almost three decades of experience in office and administration management roles ranging from Real Estate and Law Firms to Multidisciplinary Allied Health Practices.
She is a proactive self-learner with flexibility, excellent communication and organisational skills and is a self-confessed administration nerd. She particularly loves creating efficiency for the team and making sure that everyone feels supported.
Tracy was born and bred on a large cattle and sheep station on the Monaro where they also bred and campaigned Australia Stock Horses. She treasures her rural upbringing and loves working with an agency that avidly supports regional and rural Australia.
There is no question Tracy knows her stuff inside and out, but what we love most is her genuine passion for ensuring our team and clients are cared for – whether that’s checking in on everyone in a busy agency environment, to getting the bills (and pays!) efficiently processed or being the friendly voice on the end of the phone or email.
Tracy loves being part of the team. She says being surrounded by incredibly talented and passionate women who work hard for their clients and support each other unequivocally is energising.
Tracy’s had lots of wins on the admin front but her favourite has been streamlining administration processes to create efficiencies for the team and ease the load.

There’s some serious talent behind the Sauce.

Get to know our people.

With deep roots in rural Australia, our team blends local insight with big-picture strategy. From Melbourne to the Surf Coast, Griffith to Merimbula, Coffs Harbour to Sydney, and with our heart in Leeton NSW.