AdNews can reveal the shortlist for its Emerging Leaders 2025 program, with a range of candidates across the media, marketing and advertising industry.
The awards will be staged as a cocktail function on August 27 at The Terrace in Melbourne.
Purchase your tickets to the event here.
The ceremony will see 20 Emerging Leaders announced from a shortlist of finalists, with a Grand Prix handed to one professional for their outstanding industry achievement.
The awards were judged by industry leaders from across key industry associations and organisations such as the MFA, IMAA, IAB and UnLtd.
Thank you to our presenting partner Snapchat and supporting sponsors Foxtel Media, MIQ, Perion, PubMatic and WPP Media.
The shortlist in alphabetical order is:
Peter Andrew
Paramount+ head of media and integrated planning
Peter’s passion for brand building began at UNIspotter, an Austrian startup which streamlined the university discovery and application processes for students. He later joined Wavemaker as group director, where his ability to build high-performing teams led to winning the Network 10 account. In his current role, Peter developed and executed a brand-led marketing strategy that delivered cost efficiencies of up to four times. He also led initiatives such as a 12-course cannibal-inspired degustation, a strategic campaign to block the noise created by a new market entrant and a fan event for the launch of Aussie Shore. Peter contributes to the industry and broader community through DE&I initiatives, fostering new talent and charity. Most recently, he curated the annual Paramount Summit.
Justin Arlt
Wavemaker national head of investment
Justin’s career spans three countries, five leadership roles and hundreds of millions in client billings. He started at an independent agency in Melbourne before moving to Mediabrands’ APAC headquarters in Singapore. Justin returned to Australia in 2020 to take on a role at Initiative, where he was named Employee of the Year and promoted within two years. He also led pro bono media efforts for national charity partners which have been described as “deep, highly constructive and heartfelt”. He now leads Wavemaker’s national investment function, manages portfolios for Amazon, L’Oréal, Mondelez and Mitsubishi, and directs a bespoke L&D program designed to ensure the agency remains future-ready.
William Barrie
Foxtel Media group business director
William began his career at Foxtel in Melbourne in 2019 as the sole representative for digital sport products. He rose through the ranks to become group sport sales manager for Victoria in 2022, and in 2025, was appointed group business director. His biggest achievement has been reshaping how brands sponsor sport in Australian media. William’s core remit has been driving Kayo advertising revenue in Melbourne. He has also helped grow sport sponsor revenue over the past 12 months by 21% YoY to $64 million in 2025 by finding new sponsors and creating market-first solutions.
Nicky Barton
Mutinex director marketing science
Nicky has spent 12 years translating dense analytics into plain-spoken insights that drive real growth for agencies and brands. As transformation director at OMD Australia, he added more than $2 million in new revenue to the network and helped win the Belong, Dulux and Victorian Government accounts. Nicky joined Mutinex in 2023, frustrated by the industry’s shallow approach to MMM education, and successfully lobbied CEO Henry Innis to back GrowthLabs, a program which has been rolled out in agencies across Australian, New Zealand and the US. Outside of work, he tunes into his passion for health and wellness as the founder of Run Club.
Sean Best
Mediabrands transformation manager
Sean’s work on Mediabrands Transformation Project’s Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has saved the business more than 85,000 hours since January 2022. He also standardised the media plan template used by all holding group agencies to enable RPA adoption. Beyond technical contributions, Sean has mentored junior team members - including several who were on the cusp of resigning - offering guidance that helped them regain clarity and motivation. He also raised more than $10,000 for Batyr by participating in Pitch2Punchline, an experience that gave him the courage to speak openly to the agency about mental health and the passing of his sister.
Sean Chan
Southern Cross Austereo strategy and insights manager and marketing insights director
Sean joined SCA in 2016 and played a key role in growing LiSTNR from concept to 2.3 million listeners. He also overhauled SCA’s brand tracking, embedding mental availability theory and category entry points to deliver insights that influenced marketing priorities, content planning and agency messaging. One of Sean’s career highlights was introducing Microsoft Power BI for survey and insight reporting and helping institutionalise the platform company-wide. He also serves as strategy and planning co-lead for The Marketing Club’s Brisbane Committee and as a mentor in its mentorship program.
Simon Conyard
Wavemaker national head of performance
Simon has had a meteoric rise over his nine years at Wavemaker. He won Yahoo's Digital Star competition in 2016 and Wavemaker of the Year in 2019. As performance media lead, Simon has enhanced the agency’s new business strategy, playing a key role in securing major accounts including Amazon, L'Oréal, Henkel - collectively representing more than $200m in billings. He led the digital product and performance response for the WPP OpenDoor model and hired a team of 19 to work in Sydney and offshore in India. Simon is passionate about helping others. He has raised funds for mental health through Pitch2Punch, mentored emerging talent as part of the NGEN program and revamped the programmatic certification for the MFA.
Anna Craven
Thinkerbell head earned thinker
Anna is transforming earned media across the global communications landscape at just 31. She cut her teeth at Rinsed before moving to London for a six-year stint and eventually returning to Melbourne. Since joining Thinkerbell, five months ago, Anna has quadrupled Melbourne’s earned remit and increased revenue by 294%. She has also developed fully integrated services for clients such as Jetstar, Australia Post, GWM, Bega and Mattel. Throughout her career, Anna has helped build pathways for emerging talent in the industry. She previously managed Stir’s partnership with nonprofit organisation, Small Green Shoots, to boost career opportunities for underrepresented young people. She was also an original member of Pimento’s Club 30 and the founder of the PR Expats London LinkedIn group.
Luisa Dalli
Havas Media strategy director
Luisa has been a key part of Havas Media for almost eight years, leading work across accounts such as Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Accolade Fine Wines, TK Maxx and Destination NSW. She won silver at the Festival of Media APAC Awards in 2024 and has been shortlisted for a number of accolades, including AdNews Emerging Leader. Her standout moment was defending the Perfetti Van Melle account at a time when wins felt distant. Luisa was also one of the powerhouses behind Aussie Futures, a landmark study which revealed seismic shifts in national values, and a founding member of the MFA DE&I Council.
Gemma Dawkins
PHD head of digital
Gemma has made it her mission to make the tech industry a more equitable environment for women to thrive. As head of digital at PHD, she manages a team of 32 and supports the development of 300 staff nationwide. Gemma was named APAC Young Achiever in 2018 and selected for The Marketing Academy scholarship program this year. As a representative on the MFA Interactive Committee, she co-authored the ‘Australian Digital Advertising Practices’ and the training modules for the ‘Digital Foundations Certification’. Gemma also regularly hosts panels, debates and podcasts on media impact, ethics in data and AI.
Abigail Dawson
Enero Group communications director
Abigail rose from journalist to global communications lead in under a decade. At 21, she joined Mumbrella and was promoted four times in just over three years. She then moved agency-side, helping Special Group launch its US office and leading UberEats’ first Super Bowl campaign. At 26, Abigail became one of the youngest-ever communications leads at an ASX-listed company, overseeing global comms across five businesses and 16 cities for Enero Group. Abigail is founding board director of the Please Stay Foundation and national head of PR for The Aunties. And in her spare time, she hosts a podcast aimed at raising the profile of women in sports.
Sorcha Doran
iProspect programmatic solutions lead
Sorcha’s media career began unexpectedly with a graduate role as a programmatic trader at dentsu. During the pandemic, she remotely led an eight-person team at Carat and oversaw programmatic strategy for global brands like Microsoft and Xbox. Last year she joined iProspect and delivered several first-to-market opportunities leading to multiple award shortlistings. Sorcha has educated internal and external stakeholders on the deprecation of third-party cookies, joined AdNews’ AdClub Cookieless Conundrum roundtable and mentored iProspect’s Cannes Young Lions and MFA’s NGEN teams.
Drew Groves
Starcom client service director
Throughout his career, Drew has transformed pressure into potential and uncertainty into opportunity, driving performance and unlocking personal growth in others. At Havas Media, he led a global pitch that beat 100+ agencies to win Tourism Fiji. Now at Starcom, he leads the TPG Telecom account. Drew sees talent attraction and retention as a long-term industry challenge and prioritises mentoring junior staff and supporting MFA initiatives to inspire next-gen talent. He also volunteered as Starcom’s representative on Publicis Groupe’s EmbRACE committee, launched the ‘Illuminate Panel’ series to spotlight diverse voices and led Ronald McDonald House volunteer dinners with agency partners.
Aliya Hasan
Nature head of strategy
Aliya cut her teeth at Y&R, after topping ‘Strategic planning in marketing’ at RMIT University. At dentsu, she won seven new accounts, developed the strategy for Vodka Cruiser’s first interactive Facebook Live ‘TV show’ and earned two promotions in three years. At Naked Communications, Aliya was the youngest manager in a hybrid strategy and client service role, leading the restructure of AFL’s complex brand architecture spanning over 200 assets. She was also the strategic lead on the award-winning ‘Steal Banksy’ campaign, which won a Cannes Lion gold, silver and bronze, two gold Effies and an ADMA Grand Prix.
Jacqueline Ingram
GroupM Nexus national head of client development, ADOOH
Jacqueline is national head of client development for advanced digital out-of-home at Group M’s Nexus. She has been named the OMA Rising Star and received a number of internal honours for her contribution to the industry. Jacqueline has secured new partnerships with previously untapped brands, including an $800,000 FMCG client, $1.2 million from an entertainment brand and $900,000 from an alcohol company last year. She has also delivered 17% YoY growth and successfully onboarded 16 new clients since November and successfully renewed the business’ largest partnership. Prior, Jacqueline led a team of 15 as group sales leader at oOh!media.
Stephanie Jones
WPP Media client development director
Stephanie has progressed through seven roles to client development director at WPP’s Nexus. She has been recognised as Maxus Rising Star, Mindshare Representative of the Year and a finalist at the Women Leading Tech Awards. Stephanie orchestrated the acquisition of an FMCG brand’s YouTube business, resulting in a 691% YoY revenue increase. She also played an integral role in Volvo Australia’s digital sustainability initiative, which achieved a 41% reduction in carbon emissions and won the Media for Good category at the MFA Awards. Stephanie supports women across the industry by speaking at forums like TWIPN and NGEN events, sharing her experience and encouraging greater representation in digital media. She also mentors three junior team members.
Pawena Kaniah
iProspect strategist
Pawena has earned three promotions in three years, becoming the de facto strategy lead for top tier clients such as Air New Zealand, Seven West Media, Ampol, MYOB and Polestar. She won silver at the 2024 iProspect Global Awards and was named Campaign Asia’s Women Leading Change this year. In her first year as manager, she led an agency-wide PDP overhaul, drove iProspect to 100% SBS DE&I training completion, launched a pioneering Share of Search metric, boosted awards entries by 240% through process redesign. As the youngest migrant on the MFA DE&I Council, Pawena is passionate about helping juniors find their voices.
Rebecca Kingsbury
Initiative client director
Rebecca has risen through the ranks of Initiative Melbourne’s “multi-client team”, servicing accounts for sporting bodies, airlines and makeup brands. One of her biggest achievements was being nominated for a national Women in Media award for her success during an extended overseas assignment. Rebecca successfully navigated 100% staff turnover following an agency restructure and lifted TRR scores to a record high. A key focus area of hers is bridging gaps between agency divisions and she has played an active role in an off-site workshop addressing internal pressure points during a challenging year caused by an impending acquisition.
Fleur Lancaster
Howatson+Company group business director
Fleur’s rise has been anything but ordinary. At 11, she pitched her family a full business and marketing plan to become a guinea pig breeder. By 14, she was backstage on a Dove campaign, already eyeing a future in advertising. At 26, Fleur was leading major accounts like Visa and Bupa and managing $7 million. Today, she’s group business director at Howatson+Company thriving on complexity, martech transformations and business model pivots. Fleur built a world-first audience strategy for HSBC high-net-worths. She also scaled her team from five to 20 with an 88%+ retention. Her next goal is to become CEO.
Zoe Lassig
Havas Play group advocacy director
Zoe heads up Havas Play’s creator and sponsorship offering, driving integrated strategies across talent partnerships, earned media and social amplification. She leads relationships with TikTok, Meta, Pinterest and Snap, while also managing the COTY account. Prior, Zoe held senior roles at Seven West Media, News Corp and TikTok. Her career defining moment was launching TikTok Ads and later TikTok Content Solutions, which redefined the platform from a media channel to a cultural publisher. Zoe also contributes to industry growth as an AiMCO board member, MFA Awards Judge and NGEN mentor.
Cameron Law
Dentsu Queensland head of strategy
Cameron leads a 70-member team and influences more than $110 million in billings as head of strategy. He also leads strategic counsel for brands such as Tourism & Events Queensland, The Lottery Corporation, BEDA, McCormick, Aveo, Charles Sturt University and Good Drinks Australia. Some of Cameron’s key achievements include delivering the highest Media-i NPS scores nationally for openness to ideas, leading the Flight Centre Travel Group account for four years, and winning a bronze Effie. He is also heavily invested in giving back to the community. Cameron is an MFA Awards judge and active mentor for the next generation through NGEN workshops and internal Young Lions competitions. He is also pioneering new AI and research tool tests nationally, embarking on his own ‘self-guided CMO mentoring’ and undertaking the new System1 APE Course.
Camila Lecaros
iProspect strategy director
Camila made the leap to agency life last year after a successful career at Spotify, Seven West Media and Mamamia. Since joining iProspect, she has led the development of over 20 insight-led strategies and media models for global brands such as Ferrero. Just three months in, she was brought into a high-stakes pitch for eBay, where she played a key role in a chemistry session that helped secure the agency’s second-highest billing client. Camila has since brought that same energy and strategic focus to winning new business including Geely, EA Games and IPA. Her proudest contribution to iProspect has been leading the ‘We All Lead’ values pillar.
Emma Macey
Atomic 212º group account director
Emma leads a team of 15, overseeing integrated media strategy, investment and performance for clients including Bupa and Our Watch. Under her leadership, these accounts have delivered measurable improvements in ROI, recognised by a Festival of Media Awards shortlist and two nominations at the Cairns Crocodiles. Emma has maintained 100% client retention, contributed to pitch wins and secured long-term retained partnerships. Emma led Bupa’s 2024 media campaign, earning multiple award shortlists and a bronze Cairns Crocodile win. Outside of work, she supports families navigating life with invisible disabilities by offering practical guidance and emotional support.
Joseph Maguire-Welsh
Wavemaker digital strategy and performance director
Joseph’s early career at Flight Centre saw him lead the launch of the hotel booking engine and pioneer the ‘experiences’ strategy for the website. At Wavemaker, he secured the Allianz Partners account, turning a potential loss into a nine-year ongoing partnership. His key achievements include revolutionising Allianz Care’s Paid Search and leading a paradigm shift that proved AI innovation can thrive within strict regulatory frameworks. Joseph hosted WPP’s local event for the ‘Making Space to Unite with Pride’ global conference and is an active member of the Unite committee, championing LGBTQI+ visibility and inclusion in the workplace. He has earned internal recognition as a two-time Employee of the Month and the Employee of the Year.
Joshua Manning
Thinkerbell head brand thinker
Joshua’s philosophy - I like things that work - has guided his approach as a strategist at Clemenger BBDO, Marcel, VCCP, DDB and now as head brand thinker at Thinkerbell. Throughout his career, he has led accounts such as McDonald’s, Royal Caribbean, Unilever and Compare The Market, delivering work that has been recognised at both WARC and the Effies. Recently, Joshua has driven effectiveness across the TPG Telecom portfolio, boosting Vodafone’s YoY sales, doubling ROI and delivering unprecedented growth for felix mobile. He is also a founding member of Strategists Anonymous and an active member of the MoMMs social committee.
Matt McMahon
Salvos Stores customer experience manager
Matt has played a key role in the rollout of a new national brand before stepping up to lead the marketing function at Salvos Stores. Over the past year, he has launched a new loyalty program, secured approval for a social media agency and led marketing activity for over 40 new or relocated stores. Beyond his core responsibilities, Matt took on the role of a ‘data detective’, diving into complex strategic questions for an executive working group over the past year. He also made time to put on his red apron and serve customers in-store.
Katherine McVeity
Integral Ad Science director customer success ANZ
Katherine joined Integral Ad Science four years ago following successful stints at Nine and News Corp. She quickly rose through the ranks and received a fast-tracked promotion to management within her first year. As interim country manager, Katherine successfully scaled operations and strengthened client partnerships during a key growth phase. She continues to champion a human-centred leadership style, fostering a collaborative work culture built on growth, balance and well-being. Katherine is also shaping the future of ethical, effective media as a member of the IAB Australia AI and Sustainability Working Groups and an active participant in Unltd charity events.
Cara Norris
Social Soup head of growth and partnerships
Cara joined Social Soup in 2018 as Victorian sales director and was later promoted to head of growth and partnerships. She has championed the agency’s B2B marketing strategy and led award-winning campaigns for brands such as ALDI, Optus and Royal Canin. Cara experienced a late-term infant loss, a life-changing event that brought new depth to how she leads. Since returning from maternity leave in May 2024, she secured 19 new clients. She also led Social Soup’s third annual Influencer Upfronts in Melbourne and Sydney, which were attended by more than 160 senior marketers and agency leaders.
Rebecca O’Malley
Nova Entertainment connected audience marketing manager
Rebecca began her career in editorial, covering lifestyle and culture verticals for a startup in London, before relocating to Melbourne in 2014. She joined Nova Entertainment in 2017 and was later appointed connected audience marketing manager. In this newly created role, she built Nova’s connected audience strategy from the ground up and led an international mentorship exchange program, guiding an entry-level digital marketer in the art and science of digital marketing. Rebecca was awarded a Future Women Scholarship in 2022, and her contributions helped secure Nova’s win for Marketing Team of the Year at the 2024 ACRAs.
Ari Petropoulos
News Corp head of sales, Victoria
Ari joined News Corp in 2020 and grew the sales team in a contracting market. He sold News Corp’s first Hindi-language cricket coverage and Indigenous-language AFL round, opening a new $400,000 revenue stream and creating a repeatable cultural‑impact template. Ari is also a volunteer captain with The Reach Foundation, mentoring teenagers in confidence and communication, and supporting workshops on pitch development and presentation skills. He has won several accolades, including News Corp Pacesetter Partner of the Year, dentsu Future Leader and The Drum Gold Award. He is also a two‑time Omnicom Pitch‑Off champion.
Ervin Poernama
Sparro by Brainlabs senior paid search lead
Ervin thought he would be a finance guy until a marketing internship changed everything. He joined Sparro as a junior marketer and worked his way up to senior paid search lead. During this time, Ervin played a key role in driving over $100 million in revenue growth for Temple & Webster and leading the cross-functional integration of Brainlabs’ global Cortex tools into Sparro post-acquisition. His contributions to award-winning agency initiatives earned him a Google Agency Excellence award for Measurement Solutions and a shortlisting for Microsoft Ads’ APAC Performance Partner of the Year.
Georgia Pritchard
Howatson+Company planning director
Georgia earned the trust of CMOs long before most hit their stride. She completed her first AdCouncil strategy course and was named an APG Planning Idol finalist before graduating university. At 21, Georgia cut her teeth at The Monkeys, working on the lamb ads and NRMA’s ‘Help’ platform. By 26, she had authored her first Effie finalist for Vanish and been promoted to strategy director. Since then, she has led Qantas’ Olympics campaign that moved the PM to tears, hijacked the Ashes for UNICEF and helped save pets from deadly ticks for Petbarn. Georgia has also accrued a 100% pitch win rate across Airtasker, Microsoft, Qantas Frequent Flyer, UNSW and Myer. And now at 29, she has won a Cannes Lion in Creative Commerce and broken System 1’s high-performing records.
Aidan Ryan
Dentsu Queensland head of investment
Aidan has become one of Queensland’s most respected media investment leaders, with 17 years at dentsu under his belt. He leads all media owner partnerships and sets the standard for agency behaviour. Aidan has led the relationship with foundational client The Lottery Corporation for more than eight years and played a key role in winning the Tourism & Events Queensland tender. He also generated $6 million in CSA media value for Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Warriors, transacted $300,000 in media charity vouchers and regularly donated blood. Outside dentsu, Aidan is co-chair of the MFA’s Outdoor Futures Council, a mentor within the MFA and regular panelist for NGEN, Boomtown and OMA events.
Emily Searle
Sparro by Brainlabs planning director
Emily started her career in publishing before making the switch to media agency land 15 years ago. One of her proudest career moments was leading the media strategy for Big Brother’s relaunch on Network 10. She also worked on Big Bash League 22/23 just after COVID and helped the team get more than one million bums on seats across the season. At Sparro, Emily’s key achievement has been establishing a dedicated planning function and helping clients confidently return to top-of-funnel activity without compromising their performance focus. This has led to new media functions at Sparro that have already helped win and grow national accounts.
Amelia Sherman
Nova Entertainment group campaign manager
Amelia is a commercial creative and strategist with more than 12 years’ experience spanning magazines, publishers, media agencies and audio. She leads strategic media solutions within CREATE, Nova’s internal agency, which has produced integrated campaigns for Menulog, McDonald’s, Qantas, Amazon, Netflix, Kayo, Woolworths and the Australian Government. Amelia helped develop Nova’s neurodiverse recruitment strategy, which helped the business win its first D&I Award at the ACRAs. She also led a campaign for Mable, in collaboration with Bus Stop Films and EssenceMediacom, that authentically centred people with lived experience of disability.
Ciaran Tobin
Acast group business director
Ciaran joined MCN as a brand partnerships coordinator and was promoted twice in two years. In his 20s, he moved to London to become brand partnerships manager at Discovery Networks. After making the move back to Sydney, he joined Acast, where he leads a team of six and manages a large agency patch, including WPP, Publicis, dentsu and a number of indies. He also manages one of the company’s most commercially valuable portfolios, representing top-spending advertisers such as Airbnb, KFC, CBA, Amazon, Uber and Woolworths. Ciaran won the ‘One Team’ award for his role in a collaborative multi-channel campaign and was a finalist for Digital Partner of the Year at the IMAA Awards.
Summer Treseder
Wavemaker associate strategy director
Summer started as a coordinator and progressed through five promotions to become strategy lead on Paramount. During that time, she developed the strategy to revive Girlfriend Magazine, helped Initiative win IAG and produced a 67-page Shopper playbook. Summer has won numerous awards, including Campaign Asia’s Young Achiever of the Year, Young Spikes and NGEN. She also became the first person to win Young Lions twice. As chair of Initiative’s For Good committee, Summer has led social impact projects for HeartKids, Cancer Chicks and Gotcha for Life. She has also led the strategy for Goodman Fielder's first sustainability campaign. A proverb that defines her leadership style is, ‘Be a peli-can, not a peli-can’t’.
James Turner
Howatson+Company head of strategy and planning
Big-picture strategy and specialised execution are at the heart of everything James does. He has received a number of accolades for his work, including M&C Saatchi’s ‘Maurice’ award, the MFA’s Best Use of Real-Time Marketing award. He has also been named Wavemaker of the Year. In his current role at Howatson+Company, James leads a team of 24 across Sydney and Melbourne. He has always prioritised work that uplifts both the industry and the communities it serves. His most meaningful contribution has been through his work supporting UNICEF Australia. Over the past three months, the agency’s efforts unlocked global Tier-1 funding and led to the two most successful donation revenue months in the charity’s history.
Guy van den Dries
StackAdapt account lead, global client services
Guy led a strategic plan that drove a 525% increase in average daily spend for a major agency partner as the sole account lead for the New Zealand market. He has also built internal processes to improve performance across the board, including training on Google Analytics discrepancies and co-developing the Buddy Check framework to reduce setup errors. Guy has led complex campaigns for major brands including Honda, Caterpillar, TelstraSuper and DocuSign, working with cross-functional teams across APAC, EMEA and NORAM. Outside of work, he volunteers as a coach of his local rugby club and supports mental health charity Move4Mates.
Nate Vella
Bench Media head of strategy
Nate began his media career as an intern at Are Media before securing a permanent role at News Corp, where he was quickly promoted to digital campaign manager. He was appointed brand strategy lead at Bench Media in 2022. Nate has transformed Bench’s approach to client work. He has worked with more than 20 brands, including nudie, Britax, Australian Catholic University and Nestlé. He recently played a key role in onboarding seven major clients, contributing more than $6 million in new and retained revenue. Nate also mentors junior team members and leads regular strategy sessions and creative workshops to strengthen internal capabilities and foster greater collaboration.
Amy Weatherlake
Equality Media + Marketing business director - media
Amy led the expansion of the media team to 12 from six members over the past year. She also secured 13 significant new client projects across diverse sectors. Amy also championed Equality’s transition to a four-day workweek, managing the change to support both work-life balance and sustained high performance. This forward-thinking leadership led to multiple internal promotions and maintained 100% staff retention. Amy helped raise awareness around housing insecurity by securing more than $100,000 in pro bono media support for the Women’s Property Initiative. She also created the Equality Elevate Internship Program to help provide fair opportunities to talented students who would otherwise miss out.
Joel West
Meta agency partner
Joel began his career at IPG Mediabrands and quickly rose through the ranks to become social director. He led accounts such as Hyundai, NBN and the NSW Government, where he oversaw social strategy and execution across more than 30 departments. After collaborating with Meta agency-side, Joel set a goal to join the company. He moved to Singapore as a Partner Manager but returned to Australia during the COVID pandemic. Joel played a key role in rebuilding Meta’s independent agency ecosystem from the ground up, growing the team from two to seven members and helping establish it as the fastest-growing business unit in ANZ. He was also instrumental in launching UnLtd’s Mood Tea to prevent youth suicide.
Jack Winter
Heads & Tales senior strategist
Jack is a self-described “quirky, nerdy empath” who believes in showing clients the commercial value of addressing the real, unmet needs of their target audiences. His strategic work has earned him wins at the 2023 Global Pharmaceutical Marketing Excellence Awards and the Prime Awards the same year. He was also a four-time finalist at the Prime Awards for his work with Biogen, Sanofi and ViiV Healthcare. Since joining Heads & Tales, Jack has led ANZIIF’s digital transformation project, the pitch response for all new business, and the content strategies for HCF and zazen Water. He has also run a regular training program to challenge the agency’s creative approach.
Xue Ying Chen
WPP Media client growth director
Xue migrated to Australia from China after primary school and began her media career as a sales coordinator at Network Ten in 2011. Throughout her career, she has received several accolades, including Sales Rep of the Quarter at OMD, Salesperson of the Month at UM and multiple Melbourne and National ‘Passionate’ awards. At GroupM in 2018, Xue drove a 303% YoY growth in agency programmatic billings and launched a seven-figure digital investment solution for a client. She then single-handedly grew the agency’s new Advanced TV business in Melbourne by 1,233%. Following parental leave, as client growth director for Nexus's Omnichannel capability, she won the APAC Celebrating Our People Award in 2024, solidifying her reputation as a trailblazer.
King Yong
Howatson+Company head of post production
King discovered his passion for editing after taking a two-day filmmaking course in high school. He went on to study communications and landed a role at a TVC production company before moving into full-time editing at CHEP. In 2021, he joined Howatson+Company and was quickly promoted to head of post production. King proactively broke down traditional silos between departments, inviting more streamlined collaboration between editors, designers, motion artists and creatives. His contribution to campaigns like Matilda Bay’s Rejected Ales has also played a key role in winning multiple D&AD Pencils and the Grand Prix in Industry Craft at Spikes Asia.
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