Jo Feeney

Jo joined Michael Hill in March 2021 as Chief Marketing Officer to lead the revitalisation and growth of the company’s brand, delivering end to end marketing strategies in an omnichannel environment. Jo’s role has direct accountability for the performance of the Brand, Marketing, Content, Visual Merchandising in stores, CRM & Loyalty, as well as leading the customer data, analytics and insights teams.

Jo Brings with her over 25 years’ experience in both Australian and global organisations, specialising in marketing, strategic brand building, end to end communications and driving key customer growth strategies across channels.

Jo has held senior marketing roles in a variety of industries, gaining early retail experience at Woolworths before a shift to telecommunications, spending over four years at Telstra as Group Manager Brand and Retail. Jo then moved to Foxtel before her role as Director of Marketing at McDonald’s Australia.

In Jo’s time at Michael Hill, she has led the rebrand of the Michael Hill business, including the first flagship store opening in Chadstone in April, the revamp of the website and the announcement of Miranda Kerr as Michael Hills first global brand ambassador. In her short time at Michael Hill Jo’s team has won more than 15 creative awards across the world, including the Shots Top 100 best ads globally 2023, one of only two Australian brands to be featured, and most recently a bronze Effie.

Jo is a recognised leader in marketing and brings with her a fresh approach to driving the future growth of brands through a lens of commercial creativity.

Michele Levine

Michele Levine was born with a passion for people and what makes them tick, social justice, and an insatiable curiosity about life.

With over 30 years’ experience, Michele has been responsible for thousands of surveys, including many of the largest research projects undertaken in Australia, many of which continue to play a critically important part in shaping our society.

With a fundamental belief in the empowering value of information, Michele was instrumental in the development and refinement of Roy Morgan Single Source, the world’s leading consumer study (based on over 65,000 interviews a year) and the Roy Morgan Business Survey.

Michele was ahead of her time in foreseeing the exponential growth of big data and the need for software, like ASTEROID, which can manage and order massive volumes of data – as well as the need for highly trained analysts and data scientists who can help make sense of it.

Joanna Robinson

With nearly three decades of local and global commercial experience, Joanna is the Chief Marketing Officer at THE ICONIC, Australia's premier online fashion and lifestyle powerhouse. Bringing together marketing, sales, and leadership expertise, she drives game-changing strategies that fuel customer-centric growth. She also operates  as a sessional lecturer at the University of Sydney,  teaching Marketing and Leadership, with a focus on inspiring the next generation.

Joanna has worked for the likes of Unilever, P&G, J&J, Colgate Palmolive, Estee Lauder and Chatime, marketing everything from toothpaste and detergent to cosmetics and fragrance, with a particular expertise in engaging Gen Y and Gen Z consumers. She has led high-performing teams across Australia, Asia and the Middle East, and thrives on harnessing data-driven insights to enrich the customer journey and drive commercial success.

Joanna is passionate about women’s empowerment, diversity, and gender equality in the workplace and is actively involved in mentoring and developing the young leaders of tomorrow.

Amy Kingon Smith

Amy Kingon Smith, Marketing Director of Revlon ANZ, is passionate about the power of creativity for good and how it leads to commercial outcomes.

With nearly 20 years consumer marketing experience across beauty, personal care and luxury categories, and with a passion for innovation and purpose initiatives, Amy is driven to make a difference, identifying insight and opportunity to approach brand challenges in non-traditional ways.

In Amy’s leadership role at Revlon, her focus is to take more risks by balancing both creative and commercial outcomes to surprise and delight consumers in a local, relevant and meaningful way.

Amy lives with her husband and 3 children (8, 5 and 3) on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and is excited about the growing trend of Australia leading the way to create trends in culture, lifestyle and beauty.

Josh Green

With experience in some of Australia's best known creative and media agencies, Josh is a passionate strategist and trusted client partner.

Having worked across a breadth of categories including automotive, financial services, ecommerce, not-for-profit, FMCG, travel and beauty, Josh's work has been recognised at Spikes Asia, London International Awards, Clio Sports, the Webbys and New York Festivals.

He was also named a winner in the strategy category at B&T's 2022 30 Under 30 Awards and was named as one of B&T’s Best of the Best Social Changemakers in 2023.

A passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, Josh chairs the Media Federation of Australia DE&I Committee and is the former chair and a current committee member of Publicis Groupe’s Égalité Committee ANZ.

Lucy Neville

As a refreshing voice that tells perfectionism to take a hike, Lucy Neville is a reassuring digital agony aunt, content creator, MC and podcast host. Her advice on beauty, mental health, body image, and everything else life throws our way is depended on daily by her community, with thousands sharing their personal questions and stories with Lucy, knowing in return she’ll value their privacy, offer comfort and comic relief, and remind them that they’re not alone. 

In 2024, Lucy launched her latest venture alongside Kee Reece Searles, 'I'm Wigging Out' - a weekly podcast for overthinkers and deep feelers. The success of the podcast saw them launch 'I'm Glowing Out', a monthly beauty episode.

Based in Sydney with universally relevant advice to spare, Lucy never fails to remind us how important it is to equally embrace the good, the bad, and the cringe.

Maddie Jahnke

Maddie Jahnke is the Head of Light Spirits, Digital & Insights at Pernod Ricard, where she orchestrates regional marketing strategies for a dynamic portfolio of Vodka, Agave, Gin, Rum, Aperitif and Liqueurs encompassing iconic global brands Absolut, Altos, Malibu, and Kahlua. She also spearheads digital marketing and consumer insights across the Pacific region for the broader Wine & Spirits portfolio.

Prior to Period Ricard, Maddie played instrumental marketing leadership roles in shaping brand narratives, media strategies and sponsorship initiatives at heartland Aussie brands Holden and Medibank. However, her roots in the industry trace back to her formative years at the independent full-service agency, Cummins & Partners.

Amaury Treguer

With over 15 years of combined marketing and communications experience on both agency and client sides, Amaury has proven through-the-line experience including TV, print, social media and digital.

After launching Sixtine, a creative studio specialised in content production back in Paris, Amaury is now focusing his efforts on creating and implementing social and digital strategies for clients across a wide range of industries such as retail, entertainment, tech, automotive, FMCG, tourism, skincare, financial services, healthcare and government.

Over the past 15 years working in the digital space, Amaury has had a chance to work with clients such as Modibodi, Sony, Nikon, Netflix, Universal Pictures, Toyota, Jaguar, BIG W, WooliesX, P&G, NIVEA, Johnson & Johnson, SunRice, Lavazza, Electrolux, Clorox, Goodman Fielder, FedEx and Accor Hotels.

In his ‘dawn-time’, he takes photos for his blog 'Morning Bondi'.

Corrina Brazel

With a career spanning over two decades with major domestic and international brands, Corrina is the Head of Marketing for the retail division of Wesfarmers Health, a health, wellbeing and beauty business established in March 2022, following the acquisition by Wesfarmers Limited of API, one of Australia’s leading health and beauty companies with a 100-year history.  

Today, Wesfarmers Health has four business units including retail, medical aesthetics, digital health and pharmaceutical wholesale. It operates well-known consumer and B2B brands including API, Priceline Pharmacy, SILK Laser Clinics, Clear Skincare, InstantScripts and SiSU Health and employs over 3,600 team members across Australia.

A creative, energetic and customer obsessed marketer with strong commercial acumen, Corrina has led and inspired high performing marketing teams for brands including Target, Australia Post, Borders, Blockbuster and Symbion.

Corrina firmly believes in the incredible power of brands and loves nothing more than delving into the wonderful word of brand strategy and identity creation. She is also passionate about guiding businesses to be more inclusive and accessible in their communications and takes particular joy in working for organisations that think as deeply about their community impact as they do their commercial.

Lachlan Brahe

Lachlan Brahe is the General Manager of Retail Media at Cashrewards, where he leads strategic initiatives to drive business growth. Previously, Lachlan served as Head of Retail Media for The Endeavour Drinks Group, where he spearheaded the successful launch of MixIn, its retail media business, in 2022.

Lachlan sits on the Advisory board of Australia’s only Retail Media focused conference: Unmade and is the inaugural Chair of the IAB Australia Retail Media Council. This council, established in 2023, plays a crucial role in setting industry standards, educating stakeholders, and fostering collaboration within the rapidly evolving retail media landscape. Lachlan's appointment is a testament to his leadership and the innovative work being done at Cashrewards, particularly with initiatives like Circuit.

Prior to this, Lachlan served as the Managing Director of Reprise at IPG Mediabrands, overseeing strategic initiatives for leading FMCG advertisers from 2018 onwards. Following this, he joined Criteo to pioneer the launch of their retail media platform across APAC, collaborating with prominent retailers and marketplaces such as eBay, Flipkart, and Alibaba.

With over 20 years of experience in digital advertising and a proven track record in retail media innovation, Lachlan brings invaluable expertise in strategic leadership and fostering strong industry partnerships.

Kristy Bloomfield

As the Global Chief Marketing Officer of Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirit Co, KB oversees the brand’s presence across more than 40 markets, driving innovation and accelerating growth in the rapidly expanding no- and low-alcohol category. KB has extensive experience in brand building, commercial strategy, and innovation across the beverage industry. With a career spanning some of the world’s most recognizable brands, Kristy has held senior marketing roles across some of the world’s leading brands: Coca-Cola, Corona, and more. Her deep expertise in premium beverages, combined with her passion for consumer-led storytelling, has positioned her as a driving force behind category-defining campaigns and global brand expansion.

KB is Marketing Academy Alumni and holds an M.B.A and a Law degree, bringing a unique blend of commercial acumen and strategic problem-solving to her leadership approach. She is dedicated to fostering high-performing teams and creating marketing programs that balance creativity with commercial impact. A strong advocate for innovation and purpose-driven branding, she champions strategies that not only build market share but also shape cultural conversations around mindful drinking.

Based in Sydney, KB balances her dynamic career with her role as a mother to three children. She is passionate about developing future leaders, fostering inclusive and psychologically safe workplaces, and redefining the way the world drinks through Lyre’s groundbreaking portfolio of non-alcoholic spirits.

Karen Sheppard

Getting her first taste of market research as a student running blind taste tests on potato chips, Karen has been passionate about understanding what makes people tick ever since. With over 20 years of experience working in market research, customer strategy and insights on both agency and client-side, Karen has worked across a range of industries from Tobacco to Healthcare. In her current role, Karen heads up the Customer Insights Team for Endeavour Group.

A regular on the conference circuit, Karen has presented customer insights and provided thought leadership at a range of insight and Cx events. 

Sally McLean

Sally has more than two decades of experience in marketing and is a seasoned professional who has worked extensively in the finance and retail sectors. She has held senior positions in Australia, the UK, and the Middle East.

Currently, Sally is responsible for BIG W's social platforms crafting and implementing strategic initiatives designed to impact brand and sales.

Driven by a passion for creating impactful brand and marketing initiatives, Sally is dedicated to positively influencing the lives of everyday Australians. 

Aliya Hasan

Aliya Hasan, Head of Strategy at Nature, brings 20 years of experience across B2C and B2B sectors, specialising in brand strategy, communications, cultural intelligence, and innovation. Having worked with leading brands, Aliya is renowned for helping brands grow through effective go-to-market strategies and tactical activation plans.  

A published commentator and speaker, Aliya’s work has received international recognition including Cannes Gold and multiple Effies.  

Nature has been named the Research Society’s Organisation of the Year for 2023 and 2024. 

Jade Lish

Jade Lish, currently serving as Head of Marketing for v2food - Australia’s leading plant-protein company and some of Australia’s fastest growing ready meal brands – MACROS and Soulara. She is responsible for evoking social change that will have a lasting impact on the planet – encouraging meat consumption reduction. 14 years’ experience working across various sectors in business strategy, marketing communications, innovation and sales, she uses her data-driven approach for value creation; delivering growth and profit. Concurrently, Jade is a leading member of the advisory council for NFP - The Marketing Academy. She’s also an Observer on the board for the Bread & Butter Project – Australia’s number 1 Social Enterprise. Jade enjoys travelling abroad to explore different cultures. Passionate about nature, Jade loves ocean swimming and running her energetic kelpies. She contributes to the swimming community through volunteering.

Laura Wilson

Laura has successfully built Brand & Marketing functions for top-tier Retail and consumer brands. She’s led major transformations at NAB, RACV and Deliveroo and has tackled every facet of Marketing evolution - from multi-departmental re-design and agile implementation to setting up measurement frameworks to reconfiguring agency partner models. She’s acted as trusted counsel within C-Suite, who value the way she flexes seamlessly between possibility and pragmatism, and balances hard data with creativity. She understands what it takes to lead with humanity, building high-performance cultures that enable strong commercial results. Laura co-founded Wingmaven in 2022 with Jenn ten Seldam. A fast-growing marketing ‘coach-sultancy’,  Wingmaven helps ambitious businesses achieve their boldest goals by building marketing functions that are match-fit for success, from fast-growing scale-ups to corporate clients such as REA Group and Xero. Visit wingmaven.com for more information.

Ruth Haffenden

Ruth Haffenden is a brand and marketing strategist who’s spent her career helping challenger brands grow fast — and helping bigger brands think braver.  Her 15 year career spans agency and brand side leadership roles, most recently as CMO at Boody, leading global growth and brand transformation. A Marketing Academy alum, Ruth is known for blending bold creative thinking with commercial impact, and brings a fresh, real-world take on what it takes to build relevance in a fast-moving retail world.

Paddy Cain

Paddy Cain is a Partner at Nature, a leading strategic insights and brand consultancy. He has extensive experience leading brand projects for large commercial and not-for-profit organisations, with a proven track record of driving in-market effectiveness. He regularly presents research and strategy recommendations to executive teams and boards, as well as thought-pieces at industry conferences. 

Paddy’s innovative work in integrating volumetric choice modelling with VR technology earned a Bronze Award at ESOMAR’s 2022 Global Research Effectiveness Awards. This groundbreaking approach revolutionised measuring consumer choice and forecasting sales performance, providing FMCG clients with more dynamic and accurate insights. 

Nature’s accolades include Research Society's Organisation of the Year (2023, 2024).

Jennifer ten Seldam

Jenn’s reputation as an inspirational and transformational leader has been built over an executive career of over 20+ years in APAC and Global roles. She has built, re-designed and evolved high-performing teams/divisions in fast-paced, high-growth technology businesses (SEEK, Xero) as well as mature corporate institutions (NAB, Vodafone). Over the years she has been trusted to coach countless senior marketing and business leaders through critical 'level up' moments, in successful pursuit of both fulfilment and achievement. This ‘lived experience’ was a unique leverage point upon which she co-founded Wingmaven in 2022 with Laura Wilson. A fast-growing marketing ‘coach-sultancy’,  Wingmaven helps ambitious businesses achieve their boldest goals by building marketing functions that are match-fit for success, from fast-growing scale-ups to corporate clients such as Alinta Energy and Kiwibank. Visit wingmaven.com for more information.

Grant Davidson

Grant’s key passion is helping retail businesses drive profitable and sustainable growth.

The founder of Davidson Branding back in 1990, his namesake agency was recently acquired by Principals to form Australasia’s independent branding powerhouse. 

Over his extensive career, Grant has worked with more than 300 Australian and international organisations, including 16 of the world’s top 100 brands. Ranked as ‘one of the world’s most business savvy designers’ by Business Graphics New York, Grant has studied Competitive Strategy, Business Strategy, and Digital Strategy at Harvard and is a renowned public speaker on consumer trends. 

Barry McGhee

Barry McGhee is a seasoned retail media executive, with almost 10 year’s experience in the category. From 2014 to 2018, Barry served as the Managing Director for Australia of WPPs TRM, the world's leading retail monetisation agency. TRM collaborated with tier-1 retailers and marketplaces, including Walmart, eBay, Media Markt, and ASDA, helping them unlock the potential of their digital and physical assets and strengthen relationships with partners and customers through world-class advertising and content solutions.

Barry also recently headed up commercial operations at Zitcha, leading customer acquisition and building out their partner ecosystem model, which included penning agreements with the likes of PWC and assisting existing customers in optimising their engagement with the Zitcha platform, including the likes of The Warehouse Group in New Zealand and Coles Liquor Group.

In between TRM and Zitcha, Barry played a pivotal role in leading the operations of Dynamic Yield, a personalization marketing stack powering some of the world's largest eCommerce and B2C brands. As an early advocate, he educated the market on the value of true AI-powered personalization at every touchpoint. Barry established the foundation for Dynamic Yield in the region by creating an ecosystem of tech and agency partners and securing agreements with some of the most innovative retailers in the area.

Jonathan Hopkins

Jonathan is the Founding Partner of Sonder, an independent owned media valuation business, which in the past 10 years has unlocked over $12Bn in owned media value across 14 industry sectors, in over 18 different countries.

Sonder has worked with all the leading retail media organisations in the country and has unique insight into how owned media value is created and leveraged. Retail media experience includes Woolworths Group, Coles Group, Endeavour Group, Telstra, Optus, David Jones, BCF, Officeworks, BIGW, Rebel, Myer, The Iconic, Bing Lee, Mecca and 7-Eleven. 

For more information on Sonder services please visit: sondermedia.com

Mary Proulx

Mary has established herself as a go-to expert for some of the world's best known brands seeking to deliver innovative social media marketing and communications programs.

What started as a career in PR, expanded into content marketing, influencer, and specialist social media agencies across Canada and Australia, giving her breadth and depth as a communications expert. She has designed distinctive social programs for brands across the retail, beauty, food and beverage and travel categories.  

She has the confidence and experience to throw out the cookie cutter approach and blaze new trails.

Cat McGinn

Cat McGinn is Head of Curated & Commercial Content at Unmade, where she plays a key role in shaping the conversation around retail media in Australia. As the curator of the REmade conference and editor of Unmade’s monthly retail media newsletter, she has been instrumental in championing the sector’s growth. With over a decade of experience curating agenda-setting industry events and communities, she focuses on uncovering key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the evolving media and marketing landscape.

Michelle Grujin

Michelle leads the Australia and New Zealand Industry Practice based in Melbourne. With 19 years of experience across major retail sectors and consumer goods, both domestically and internationally, including the UK, Europe, North America, and APAC, she brings a wealth of expertise. Michelle has successfully led transformative projects, focusing on cost optimisation, capability development, process improvement, and technology selection. Her experience spans key functions such as marketing, category management, merchandising, sourcing, store operations, supply chain, and change management.

Follow Michelle on LinkedIn

Sandra Hogan

Bio coming soon...

Ben Schick

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Ben has been around the block a few times across multiple industries including telco, finance and retail including Optus, Mastercard and now BIG W. He's passionate about understanding what makes customers tick and how to connect with them on an emotional level. He's also a firm believer in the power of data and technology to help solve real customer pain points in creative and innovative ways. 

Currently, Ben leads BIG W's Category Marketing team looking for new ways to unlock customer and product growth opportunities.