Time in current role/time at the company:
Managing Director & Founder since launch - November 2019.
How would you describe what the company does?
At Vonnimedia, we believe social is the flywheel that builds great businesses. In 2025, it's not just a channel. To do this well, it's not about media or creative. It's both, at the same time, at a pace we’ve never seen before. Volume and variety with crystal clear messaging wins.
We help brands do this well, and when we do, everything else becomes easier.
You only have to ask two people where they saw the outfit they are wearing, where they got their favourite food recommendation from or who told them about their last travel destination to see that social is what drives preference in today’s society.
What do you do day to day?
As Founder and Managing Director, I wear a lot of different hats. I thrive in a creative headspace, always thinking about what we are doing for our clients and where the industry is headed. It means that while I am in the big picture, I am also overseeing a lot of the day-to-day business tasks, like sales, product, operations, marketing, and recruitment. I also make sure we are dialling into the opportunities and innovations that move the business and our clients’ businesses forward.
I treat the business like a sport - performance-driven, team-based, and obsessed with improvement. My focus is on new business, media strategy for our brands, internal training, and ensuring every client outcome aligns with our standards of excellence.
Define your job in one word:
Golden.
I got into the industry because:
I saw an opportunity to reshape how the industry approached creative and performance. So at 23, I treated my energy as an advantage, a chance to build something sharper, faster, and more intentional. Along the way, I fell in love with what social, particularly paid, and now increasingly organic, could do for businesses. Just ask anyone who’s been to dinner with me, they’ll back this up.
People started asking me for help, one thing led to another, and before long, there were too many clients for me to handle on my own, and suddenly, we’d built an agency.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Scaling taste and standards across a growing team while maintaining speed - balancing brand and performance to create work that drives commercial impact and cultural relevance. Great things take work, time and a bit of luck all at the same time. A lot of both.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Producing native, high-quality social content at scale. The kind that earns attention where it matters most: on our phones. The best teams do 100x the output of the average teams. Everyone can get on board with the concept; it's just a matter of whether they can execute.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
Director at Vonnimedia (also my husband), Sam Boardman, for providing constant operational clarity for our long-term vision, as well as Sam Buchanan, CEO of the Independent Media Association of Australia (IMAA). He has always had undeniable faith in what Vonnimedia is doing in the industry and championed both me and the business.
In my early years, Sally McDonald (ex-CEO, BigW and Oroton) and Lara Karmian (Director, LARA INC.) played pivotal roles in shaping my leadership and communication styles. They both taught me the importance of brand, the consideration of international markets and that product trumps all.
Along my journey, both in-person and online, I’ve sought mentors across tech, agency, and retail who combine decisive thinking with operational depth. This has given me a considerable edge in business.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Wake up with a winning mindset. Whether you think opportunities exist or not, you’re right.
Keep developing your taste (creatively and technically), learn business fundamentals, stay close to your customers, and move fast. Energy loves speed.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
Working on the creator side. I had a YouTube channel at 16 that reached 20k+ subscribers, working with Maybelline, NYX, Splendour in the Grass and more.
Or in fashion, either buying or design. I love trend forecasting and product development.
Or in sales, working with high-net-worth products and services, as I love relationship building and communication.
My philosophy is:
- Dream big.
- If you have nothing else, you still have choice.
- Life is better with a dog. Stop putting off, they make you a better person.
My favourite advert is:
From my childhood, the Mac vs Windows campaign - it was striking, relaxed, and aspirational all at once.
More recently, Google’s Ads campaign featuring Magda Szubanski as Sharon Strzelecki was a brilliant example of humour, target persona work and local insight.
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
I gravitate towards R&B, hip-hop, house, and pop. It’s music that’s emotional yet empowering, grounded yet high-energy.
I’m selective with TV. Usually streaming documentaries, comedy, or reality shows in interests or localities I like.
Overall, I watch way more YouTube when it comes to streaming than anything else. My go-to YouTubers are All-In Podcast for macro events and updates, Diary of a CEO for learning and psychology, Dickie Bush and Ship 30 for 30 for business operations, the Hormozi’s for critical thinking and business growth, and education channels such as Motion (Creative Analytics) for understanding marketing frameworks.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I competed as a baton twirler for 11 years - State, National, and International levels. You really wouldn’t know unless I told you! It taught me discipline, focus, and performing under pressure long before I ran a business.
In five years’ time, I'll be:
Leading a multi-brand creative and media group built through strategic acquisitions. I’d love to be the shaper and thought leader for the next generation regarding marketing, where we blend taste, technology, performance, and output to the highest standards.
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