AMI interim CEO says ‘high tide will help all ships’ as new marketing group launches

April 10, 2026 12:07

Kathryn Illy, the AMI's acting CEO

The acting chief executive of the Australian Marketing Institute has brushed off the launch of another industry group, saying a “high tide will help all ships”.

Kathryn Illy, who was appointed today as interim chief executive following the departure of Bronwyn Heys, said there is room for additional groups in the market as AMI member Michael Apte launches the Sydney Marketing Community.

Responding to remarks from both Apte, as well as the founder of New Zealand-born The Marketing Club, Chanel Clark, that their organisations were created due to a lack of access to — and affordability of — existing industry bodies, Illy said there are multiple pathways for marketers to engage with the AMI.

“There are a number of things that both members and non-members of the AMI can tap into,” she said.

“We have, of course, our education programs, mentoring initiatives, and partnerships with university marketing courses, so we’re able to support marketers from graduation right through to fellowship and retirement — across the entire career lifecycle.

“Anything that can help marketers and support their growth is of benefit. A high tide will help all ships.”

Illy stepped into the interim CEO role as predecessor Bronwyn Heys exits the industry body after four years to take on another chief marketing officer position.

She said that, as well as building on Heys’ work, she hoped to strengthen AMI’s capabilities in helping members “navigate how their roles are changing with the advancement of AI” and other shifts in the industry.

The leadership changeover within the AMI coincides with the launch of the Sydney Marketing Community by Apte, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT general manager of strategy.

Launched as an events and networking-focused business, SMC will operate in a similar space to The Marketing Club, which was founded in New Zealand and expanded into Australia last year.

Speaking to Mumbrella, Apte said: “When I started my career, I would have been grateful for more opportunities to meet marketing peers, but I really struggled to find opportunities to connect.

“When I became more senior, all of a sudden these became available, and it left me wondering how to create more options for people in earlier stages of their careers to meet.

“What we will do is provide a more relaxed environment for peer-to-peer learning, discussions and those happenstance ideas that emerge just from talking to people.”

Like The Marketing Club, SMC is registered as a business rather than a not-for-profit, unlike traditional industry associations such as AMI, the Australian Association of National Advertisers, and the Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising.

SMC’s membership, which Apte said has reached 1,000 since opening in February, is free, but members, who can be from both in-house and agency sides, pay to access monthly events.

Similarly, The Marketing Club began as a free membership offering but now charges up to $240 per year, with members able to attend events for free. The club now has set-ups across Australia and New Zealand, and will launch its first conference, Marketers’ Day, next month in Sydney and then in Auckland.

Asked whether the market was already served by existing groups, Apte said: “I think there is definitely space for a number of organisations for marketers. There are 50,000 marketers in Sydney alone, so we will be guided by what our members want.”

Clark, who intends to turn The Marketing Club New Zealand into a not-for-profit organisation, echoed Illy’s comments about the number of groups, saying: “Anything that benefits and supports the industry is good and provides what I would have loved when I was coming up through my career.

“I was priced out of what was available when I was starting, so I really believe in making more access and opportunities to people at all stages of their careers.”