our people

Kathy Lane
Director

After holding a number of significant leadership positions at school, Kathy was destined to be a career leader. It was a given. But not before some incredible life and work experience along the way.

Following rigorous interviews, Kathy was successful in securing one of only 16 positions in the Certificate of Advertising course at RMIT, kicking off her career in that direction. Her first job was at global player, McCann-Erickson before moving into Account Service at RGS Communications, working on General Motors-Holden and managing their Holden Sales Guild salesperson incentive program.

A jump across to client side saw Kathy delve into the world of fashion and retail at the iconic Georges of Collins Street before heading to the Marketing & Advertising department at another Australian fashion icon, Country Road.

Back to some more Account Service agency experience with Baker Robson Marygold, working on fashion clients, saw Kathy decide that the pull of wanderlust was too great and she headed off overseas to explore.

After extensive travelling, Kathy ended up in London. About to head home, Kathy was offered the amazing experience to work with one of London’s leading restaurant groups, the Lachmead Group, assistant managing their ‘Deals Diner’ at Chelsea Harbour before being promoted to her ‘own’ restaurant in the West End, ‘Deals West’. Owned by a number of members of the Royal Family, not only did the Deals experience satisfy Kathy’s love of food, wine and entertaining but it certainly gave her leadership experience, leading a team of hard-working individuals from all over the world. And the Royal connection was an incredible one with some of the world’s most high profile and recognisable people looked after by Kathy and her team. (Ask her, she’ll tell you!)

An exhaustion of her working holiday visa saw Kathy say goodbye to London and return to Australia a much more mature and inspired leader. A deep commitment to people and their stories (she finds people infinitely interesting), led Kathy to the world of PR & Communications via the wine industry, with Kathy appointed Manager of the National Advertising & Communications department of Tucker Seabrook who were at that time, Australia’s oldest family owned wine & spirit distribution business. Working with an incredible portfolio for over six years (think Champagne Bollinger, Grand Marnier, Henschke, Bannockburn, Campari and the list goes on…), Kathy’s skills for communication and leadership were honed under the watchful eye of her mentor, the late Judy Hirst.

The imminent birth of twins saw Kathy leave Tucker Seabrook and Sydney and return to Melbourne, starting FireWorks PR & Events in 2003 when her twins were one!

It’s been many years since she grasped the reins of her own destiny to run her own business but Kathy is still as passionate about people and delivering great outcomes for her clients as she was at the beginning. Surrounded by a strong team, Kathy’s leadership style is one of inclusion, collaboration and empowerment. She listens, distils information and acts with energy to drive the best client outcomes, inspiring her team along the way.

Caz Keck
Events & Business Director

After completing a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) degree at Monash University, Caz was awarded a scholarship year at McCann Erickson as part of the inaugural Australian Federation of Advertisers training program. Her love of television production within the advertising industry lead to a 5-year stint as a game show producer at Grundy Entertainment working on quintessential Australian TV shows such as ‘Sale of the Century’.

Following a year travelling and working in both London and New York including a media job at the British Open, Caz secured an event management position with IMG (International Management Group). Most of Caz’s professional experience comes from over 15 years as Tournament Director of IMG’s Golf Division. This is where Caz honed her event management, client and supplier liaison, sponsorship deliverables and budgeting skills. Over this time, Caz was part of the leadership team on iconic events such as the ‘Australian Masters’, ‘Greg Norman Holden Classic’ and the ‘Women’s Australian Open’.

Caz then ran her own small boutique events business working for 7 years with the Portsea Golf Club managing their renowned Portsea Pro-Am and 3 years running the AFL Pin ‘n Win program – a charity based program selling replica Premiership Cup pins during the AFL Finals Series.

Responsible for event and account management, Caz’s attention to detail is legendary. Caz is a team player and totally passionate about our clients.

Marnie Cohen
Digital Communications & PR Coordinator

Marnie joined team FireWorks at the beginning of 2019 with a vast range of experience in Journalism and Communications.

She graduated from Deakin University at the end of 2017 with a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) Distinction. As a result of her high achievements, she was the joint recipient of the 2017 Robert McDonald Journalism and International Relations prize awarded to outstanding graduating students in the field. Marnie has since represented a number of renowned organisations, including Sydney's leading news outlet The Daily Telegraph and women's fashion juggernaut Taking Shape.

Marnie's passion and knowledge of AFL has lead her to additional opportunities outside the office. She has a weekly expert opinion column on sports website 'The Roar' and is a regular panellist on the unofficial North Melbourne FC podcast, "North Talk".

She brings skills in writing, online blogging and content creation, public relations, social media and a love for digital engagement to her role at FireWorks and cannot wait to work alongside clients to make their vision a reality.