Lachlan Twose and mentor Sophie Gallagher.
More than 80% of today’s media agency professionals began their careers in the Media Federation of Australia’s NGEN program – a figure that reflects the program’s extraordinary impact. As the industry’s largest career development program, NGEN focuses on building essential skills, fostering meaningful connections and equipping early-career professionals with the tools needed for long-term success.
In 2025, that commitment expanded with the launch of the NGEN Mentor Program, which paired 35 mentors and mentees to support media professionals with three to five years’ experience. The program connects rising talent with experienced industry leaders, providing structure guidance, valuable insights and the support needed to navigate career paths and accelerate growth.
Following a successful pilot, the NGEN Mentor Program will return in 2026. In this article, NGENer Lachlan Twose and his mentor Sophie Gallagher reflect on the lessons learned and benefits gained.
Mentee: Lachlan Twose, Campaign Delivery Team Leader, oOh!media
How would you sum up your mentoring experience with your mentor? Did the process live up to your expectations?
As someone still learning the intricacies of creative strategy, this partnership with Sophie is everything I could have hoped for. Sophie acted as equal parts mentor, teacher and #1 supporter. I wouldn’t understand creative strategy the way I do now without Sophie’s support and guidance.
More specifically, what impact did mentoring have on your confidence, leadership mojo or how you tackle work in general?
Through her experience and expertise, Sophie saw what I was trying to achieve with my insights and briefs, and shared guides and examples for how I could change my wording and structure to make the concepts more presentable. This gave me the confidence that my insights were good as a starting point, they just needed finessing, which cleared a lot of my imposter syndrome and doubts! It also meant I was able to better communicate my creative strategies through brief responses and the development of insights.
While I had been attaining certification at the time of the mentorship through another online program, this real-time, firsthand experience was priceless to my confidence and understanding.
What’s one piece of advice from your mentor that has really stuck – the kind that pops into your mind when something goes wrong?
When responding to a brief, bring out your highlighter pen and look for the repeated words or phrases – this way, you can use the clients’ own words back at them when communicating your creative strategy.
Mentor: Sophie Gallagher, Strategy Director, Clemenger BBDO
We know why mentees sign up, but the benefits for mentors can be less obvious. What inspired you to join the NGEN Mentor Program?
Mentorship, to me, is one of those non-negotiables of a career. I have been incredibly lucky to have several mentors over the years who have taught and inspired me, demonstrating the values of what it takes to be a leader in our industry. Having external and objective voices to give you guided feedback, and to advocate for you, is so valuable. The lessons I have taken from these people continue to guide the choices I make every single day.
So, when I saw the launch of the NGEN Mentor Program, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of, to give back to not only the next generation, but to the MFA itself which has been a vital supporter and education hub in my career. As a mentor, it’s an amazing opportunity to nurture your perspective, discover your superpower in helping others and have a dedicated opportunity to hear from up-and-coming members of our industry.
One of my core values is to always leave the door open for those behind me – to take the lessons I have learnt, and to help more people grow, find their place and become successful in our industry. That’s why the NGEN Mentor Program was so important to me.
How did you approach building a productive relationship with your mentee – was it a carefully crafted strategy, or more of a “let’s figure this out together” vibe?
From day one, Lachlan and I had a very organised approach to mentorship. He had clear goals he wanted to achieve over the six months, developing his skill set and experience as a strategist. So together, we created a learning program that responded to what he was working on currently and gave opportunities to practice the types of projects he was aiming for.
While every mentorship is different, the MFA and NGEN teams did a fantastic job of matching working and personality types to get the most out of every partnership.
What have you personally taken away from the experience? Any surprises, unexpected lessons, or “wow, I didn’t see that coming” moments?
As a mentor, you learn as much about yourself as what you teach during these sessions. From the best way to communicate and upskill others, to firming my perspective on strategy as a craft, it is an incredible way to hear feedback in real time – helping you grow as a leader.
Personally, this experience has been so rewarding. Seeing Lachie’s passion and growth for our industry in every session was truly inspiring, and it was a deep privilege to mentor someone as dedicated as him. I can’t wait to watch him continue to soar as a future star of advertising and media!
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