Bastion Acquires Daymark, Expanding Corporate Affairs Capabilities

Australasia’s largest independent marketing and communications agency, Bastion, continues its strategic expansion with the acquisition of Daymark, one of Australia’s most respected boutique corporate advisory firms, renowned for its expertise in corporate communications, public affairs, government relations and crisis management.

The acquisition further expands Bastion’s market-leading corporate affairs capabilities with Daymark’s senior advisory expertise, client portfolio and proprietary technology. It strengthens Bastion’s ability to deliver end-to-end reputation strategies, helping clients navigate complex challenges and achieve long-term success.

Founded 15-years ago by industry leaders John Fergusson and Richard Peters, Daymark has built a strong reputation advising senior leaders on complex communications challenges and assisting some of Australia’s most prominent organisations to navigate reputational risk and opportunity. The acquisition of Daymark also comes with an AI-powered reputation intelligence platform along with pioneering work in reputation tracking and monitoring.

Bastion ANZ CEO Cheuk Chiang said the acquisition is a significant step in Bastion’s ambition to be the strongest independent network.

“Our strategy has always been to bring together the best experts under one roof to solve our clients’ most critical problems. With Daymark now part of Bastion, we’re building something truly unique and effective in the reputation and corporate affairs space -- the know-how of experienced practitioners that are informed by data and powered by AI,” said Cheuk.

John and Richard will lead the newly expanded Bastion Reputation corporate affairs practice, under the direction of Bastion’s managing director of corporate communications and PR, Richard Chapman. Richard Peters will be based in Sydney, with John and the Daymark team joining Bastion’s Melbourne hub in Cremorne.

Regarding the acquisition's strategic value, Richard Chapman said, “Daymark is a best-in-class corporate advisory firm. John, Richard and the team bring an incredible wealth of experience, trusted relationships and in-depth insights around reputation that will strengthen our offer to clients.”

Founding director of Daymark, Richard Peters, said the decision to join Bastion was driven by a shared commitment to delivering high-impact, values-led work for clients navigating complexity in a fast-moving environment.

“Joining a wider team that spans insights and research, creative, media, digital, PR, and customer experience, allows us to elevate our offering while staying true to our core strength - helping organisations build, manage, protect or restore their reputation with clarity, confidence and credibility,” said Richard Peters.

“Aligning with Bastion strengthens our ability to support clients through any challenge, whether that’s reputation building, issue navigation, or government engagement, making us true problem solvers.”