Advanced Marketing Leadership 2025

About Barta

•    Marketing Leadership Thinker. Speaker. Author
•    Dean, global CMO Fellowship
•    Creator of the world’s largest ever study, involving over 68,000 assessments, on what makes for a successful customer leader
•    Author of the #1 leadership book for marketers: The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader with Patrick Barwise
•    Founder of the Marketing Leadership Masterclass
•    Former partner of McKinsey
•    Led transformations for over 20 years, in 14 industries, in 45 countries for many of the world’s top organizations, including over two dozen from the Fortune 500
•    Organizational Psychologist
•    Honorary Fellow of The Marketing Society
•    Author for Forbes, Marketing Week, and the TryThis.Blog

About Caroline

Caroline assumed the role of Country Director for Google New Zealand in 2017, and in this role she is responsible for driving Google’s overall business operation and is focussed on helping NZ businesses grow and transform in the digital age.

Prior to joining Google, Caroline served as Marketing and Product Director for Latitude NZ (previously GE Capital) as well as Brand Director for their broader AU/NZ region. Before her return to New Zealand in 2013, Caroline worked as the Regional Marketing Director for Philips Royal Electronics across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

When she's not helping customers, Caroline spends her time chasing two young children around the parks and beaches of Auckland. She also loves tennis and is an enthusiastic skier.

About Jim

Professor Jim Lecinski is a Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management--the top ranked MBA program for Marketing--where he teaches popular courses on Marketing Strategy, Omnichannel Marketing, and AI in Marketing. He has won multiple prestigious teaching awards including Kellogg Professor of the Year.  
Jim is a recognized expert, in¬-demand consultant and keynote speaker with over 30+ years of marketing industry experience, including a notable twelve year career at Google, where he was Vice President of Customer Solutions for the Americas.  
Jim's seminal book about the new marketing model, “Winning the Zero Moment of Truth” known as “ZMOT” [pronounced Zee-Maht] has been read by over 300,000 marketers worldwide and his ZMOT concept is included in many marketing textbooks.  
His latest project, “The AI Marketing Canvas: A Five Stage Roadmap to Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Marketing” was published by Stanford University Press and has been named both a top AI book and a top business book.

About Islam

Islam ElDessouky, Global VP of Creative at The Coca-Cola Co sees storytelling as a superpower for brands. If harnessed authentically and consistently, it drives brands to penetrate culture and become part of people's lives. It can trigger, enable, and drive behaviours and impact people’s lives in a remarkable and fascinating way. 

He has been the driving force behind some of Coca-Cola's most successful, awarded, and impactful campaigns, both globally and regionally. Now leading global creative & content for the flagship Coca-Cola brand, he is obsessed with creating genuinely clutter-breaking work and pushing The Coca-Cola Co. into new creative territory. 

He joins us at the 2024 Brand Summit to talk brand storytelling, creative effectiveness, and ideas that drive results.

About Aisha

After more than 20 years in blue chip global FMCG, Telecommunications as well as iconic New Zealand charities, Aisha now helps step-change organisations and their leaders’ performance, potential and impact. Aisha was most recently the Chief Executive for the Starship Foundation and has held senior corporate executive positions in Country Management, Marketing, Sales and Logistics, Future Ventures and Innovation. She has experience in board governance, and with start-ups spanning the US, Australia, and New Zealand. She was the 2014 NZ Marketer of the Year.

Aisha describes herself as a proud Te Kaa graduate, on a te reo and te ao Māori journey, and an enthusiastic hockey mum of a wonderful multi-cultural family.

About Clive

Clive has had a Global career in Sales, Marketing and Management, now having worked across multiple industries globally. As innovators and visionaries in the Training category, not many know the category better, and with ambitions bigger than ever, Les Mills helps athletes (the customer that sweats) be their mental, emotional and physical best.

Clive is a strong business leader, with a proven track record in delivering people, brand and commercial results across international businesses, and building high-performing teams. Bringing his high energy and leadership expertise to this role as CEO.

About Rob

Rob has led transformational growth of dentsu in New Zealand since taking the helm 2013. Under Rob’s leadership revenue has more than tripled, the group has won significant new clients, and welcomed new businesses BC&F Dentsu, Isobar, and Davanti via acquisition. With nearly 20 years of experience across Media and Creative businesses, Rob has worked on some of New Zealand’s most iconic brands and campaigns, been awarded in local and international awards shows, and led agencies including Zenith and Publicis Mojo.

Rob has been recognised on Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40 list, won People’s Choice for ‘Human of the Year’ at the StopPress Awards, and in 2018 won the Sandy Smith Inspiring Individual Award. Rob currently sits on the Commercial Communications Council Executive Board as President, and is on the Media Committee, and Beacons Sub Committee.

Rob is focused on building a strong people first culture within DAN and is proud to represent the over 300 people that make up the group in New Zealand.

Outside of work Rob’s priority is spending time with his two beautiful young girls and wonderful wife.

About Shane

20+ years leading brand, data, and digital transformation strategies in the UK, Australia and NZ. My passion lies in creating strategic brand platforms to drive growth and innovation. 

My career began in Melbourne, where I joined the Australia Post grad programme from Otago University. After a stint travelling and working on construction sites, I spent three years freelancing in creative agencies in London. This led to a great role on the global rebrand of Aviva before heading home to NZ to lead the marketing for ASB. 

I've been fortunate to receive 150+ creative awards for the work I have been involved with and was recognised as NZ's Marketer of the Year in 2021. 

About Drew

Drew is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at The University of Auckland Business School and also serves as the Business School’s Associate Dean of External Engagement. Before completing his Master’s and Doctoral degrees at Auckland University of Technology, Drew enjoyed a 12-year career in global business and marketing roles, including sales, marketing, and business development responsibilities in the North American, Western European, Australasian, and developed Asia markets. 

Drew’s current research mainly focuses on business-to-business marketing, marketing strategy, and relationship marketing practice, specifically focusing on trust and trust repair. Drew is also interested in industrial marketing functions, such as professional selling and sales management, industrial pricing practice and business buying behaviour. Other current research projects Drew is involved in seek to understand the role of technology in business relationships, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and other automated or augmented technologies, and how businesses can best adopt these tools in practice.

About Miriam

In a competitive marketplace, technical skills are not enough. The ability to communicate and present effectively, among other soft skills, is the secret of high-performing individuals.

Miriam coaches clients to overcome the challenges of public speaking to enable them to achieve their professional goals.

Miriam works with a range of clients, from entrepreneurs to leaders of global organisations. 

As well as running workshops for corporates, Miriam coaches several of New Zealand’s leading C-Suite executives.

Through her years of training, Miriam has identified the small changes that make an enormous improvement to a person’s presenting style. She now seeks to share that knowledge with you.

About Chris

Chris Lamers is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. He is skilled in Digital Strategy, Marketing Management, Customer Acquisition, Retail, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). He is a strong business development professional with a Graduate Diploma focused on Journalism from University of Canterbury. Chris was previously the Deputy Group CEO and Chief Customer Growth Officer at hummgroup, a finance company that operates across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada.

He has extensive experience delivering a diversified and innovative range of financial consumer finance products. Chris previously held the role of Chief Officer Brand, Innovation and Marketing at New Zealand's largest life insurer, Sovereign.

Chris has been tapping into the potential of MTF Finance as the CEO for the last 2 years. Chris is also a member of the Financial Services Federation Executive Committee.

About Mike

Mike is an experienced finance professional with a proven track record in leading teams, implementing financial systems and processes. Mike has 20 years of experience working in senior roles in New Zealand and internationally including at Westpac, Vodafone, ANZ in Singapore, Deutsche Bank in London and Singapore, and now MediaWorks.

At MediaWorks, Mike has played a critical role in driving the company's financial transformation and growth, initially joining as the Head of Finance Business Partnering in 2019, before serving as interim Finance Director and most recently as GM Finance and Transformation.

About Renee

With 20 years’ senior marketing experience in FMCG, financial services and building products driving business outcomes for iconic brands in NZ and the UK, I pride myself on my ability to lead teams combining strategic thinking, creative excellence with a strong commercial bent.

I’m a natural connector – whether it be people or ideas and love finding solutions and leading teams to solve complex problems.

I get the best out of people by creating alignment on a clear direction and then empowering and motivating them to deliver.

About Simon

Simon is currently the GM of Marketing and Brand at Kiwibank leading the Brand, Marketing, Digital, Data, eComm, and Design studio functions. He’s most recently led the B-Corp-certified bank through its largest-ever brand repositioning as part of the bank's broader transformation program.

He has extensive experience growing businesses and brands across multiple industry segments including financial services, technology, healthcare, and automotive in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

About Jo

Jo is a passionate, creative & commercially astute Senior Marketing and Business leader, proud to have spearheaded transformative results across some of New Zealand’s, (and the worlds) most iconic and loved brands and complex organisations including McDonald’s, Heineken, Anchor and My Food Bag.

With a broad generalist marketing background, Jo brings people together, inspiring teams to better connect around common goals, enabling a stronger connection between brands and customers.

Jo has a proven track record of building clear strategies, aligning the organisation and placing creativity and customer centricity at the heart of marketing to deliver profitable sustainable growth. 

Not known to sit still, Jo is an energetic leader with a genuine belief in purpose, curiosity and authenticity. 

About Tony

Tony works with private and public organisations to grow their leaders and teams. He develops leaders by growing their leadership skills and their ability to lead people in authentic, influential ways. He coaches teams to high-performance by developing their collective skills, behaviours, and processes.

Tony draws on global research, proven processes, tools and skills, and over 20 years personal senior leadership experience in New Zealand and APAC including General Manager, Chief Executive and governance roles.

About Jason

Jason is the CEO of One New Zealand, formerly known as Vodafone New Zealand.

He is a proud New Zealander, family man, and One NZ Warriors supporter with terrible dress sense.  He says his love of technology has helped shape his career.

Jason is passionate about enabling a better future for New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses.

About Felicity

Felicity Christie is the Founder and CEO of Sustainability Marketing Group, a New Zealand-based company focused on making Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices accessible to small and medium businesses (SMEs). Felicity started the company to address the challenge of greenwashing and to help businesses substantiate their sustainability claims. Her company offers a tech-driven ESG platform designed to simplify the tracking and reporting of sustainable practices, aligning with international standards. Felicity’s mission is to make sustainability efforts manageable and effective for businesses, promoting responsible practices and aiding companies in building long-term brand value through transparency and accountability​

About Carl

Carl is one of New Zealand’s best-known social scientists. His long and distinguished career in research stretches over 30 years and includes stints as an academic, practitioner, and author. He has crafted an enviable reputation for his expertise in consumer psychology, research design and behavioural change. Carl is the author or editor of ten books about research practise in New Zealand and he is the past Chief Commissioner for the Families Commission. These days Carl is the Head of Insight at Research First and he is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury.

About Astrud

Astrud is responsible for the continued growth and development of New Zealand's leading financial services brand. Her portfolio includes all brand, advertising, marketing and sponsorship activities across ANZ New Zealand's business. She is also responsible for creating strategic competitive advantage from data through the development and deployment of customer insights, delivering better decisions through analytics and ensuring data is well governed.

Astrud has held various marketing and data roles at ANZ. Prior to her time at ANZ she worked in a variety of roles in financial services and advertising in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

She has a Masters in Marketing Management from Otago University.

About Craig

Craig was appointed to the role of Country Director for Lion New Zealand in February 2021. Prior to this appointment, he was the Marketing Director for Lion Australia and New Zealand.

Craig joined Lion in 1994 as a sales representative in Lion’s Wine & Spirits division before transferring to the Brewery division in 1999. During his career at Lion, Craig has held a number of leadership roles across both sales and marketing.

Craig has extensive experience working across the beer, wine, spirits and RTD categories in Australia, New Zealand and global markets. He has a deep passion for people and brands and has been recognised internally and externally for his leadership and brand building capabilities. Craig has been awarded the title of New Zealand’s most effective marketer twice by the NZ Commercial Communication Council – the only person to have received this honour on two occasions.

About Frankie

Frankie Coulter serves as the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Growth Marketing & Category for Goodman Fielder in New Zealand. Recognised for his impactful leadership in marketing, Frankie was awarded the 2024 Marketer of the Year at the NZ Marketing Awards, highlighting his success in upskilling his team and fostering innovative campaigns that have significantly boosted brand engagement and growth. His work with Goodman Fielder, a leader in food manufacturing with iconic brands like Meadow Fresh and Vogel's, underscores his role in enhancing the company's market presence and strategic growth initiatives

About Jodi

Jodi O’Donnell is TVNZ’s Chief Executive Officer.  She has over 25 years’ experience in the media industry across a range of senior marketing, communications and commercial roles, including most recently as Commercial Director and Chief Revenue Officer for TVNZ.

Jodi is an accomplished leader with a strong track record of driving transformational change, digital innovation and commercial sustainability in the local media sector.  A passionate advocate for storytelling and the power of video, Jodi is focused on the transformation of audiences and revenue for a digital-first streaming organisation.

TVNZ is New Zealand’s state-owned, commercially funded broadcaster and streaming business. Each day, TVNZ reaches two million Kiwis through online streaming platform TVNZ+, and broadcast channels TVNZ 1, 2, DUKE. Leading news site 1news.co.nz and socially driven online news brand Re: connect audiences to the important issues throughout the day, however they choose to engage.

About Sarah

Sarah Sandoval is the General Manager of Consumer Marketing and Brand at NZ Post, where she has led transformative changes, including a significant rebranding initiative to reposition NZ Post beyond its traditional mail services. Her work streamlined brand identity, combining NZ Post, Courier Post, and Pace under one cohesive brand, addressing confusion and enhancing consumer perception of NZ Post as a modern parcel and logistics provider. Her efforts resulted in notable business growth, including an increase in market share and revenue despite rising consumer expectations and operational challenges. Recognised as the 2022 Marketer of the Year, Sarah’s career spans FMCG, telecommunications, and airlines across multiple continents. Her strategic approach and emphasis on consumer insights have made her a driving force in NZ Post’s ongoing transformation​.

About Craig

Results-oriented and accomplished finance executive with a strong track record of driving profitable growth and business performance in diverse industries. Possesses extensive experience in strategic planning, financial management, commercial operations, and leadership. Demonstrates expertise in developing and executing plans, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and achieving exceptional financial results. A proactive leader who excels in navigating complex environments and delivering impactful solutions. Committed to cultivating high-performing teams and driving continuous improvement. Brings cross border and international experiences across China, ASEAN, Europe, United Kingdom and Australasia. Holds an MBA and professional certifications in accounting and treasury.

About Annabel

Annabel Fribence, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Westpac Group, joined the company in November 2021 after serving as CMO for KFC across Asia. Her role at Westpac encompasses overseeing brand strategy, creative direction, sponsorships, and customer experience across a portfolio that includes Westpac, St. George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA, and RAMS. Known for her creative and commercial acumen, Annabel brings extensive experience working with notable brands, including McDonald's, Carlton Draught, and Pure Blonde, which helps her drive customer engagement and strengthen brand connections in the Australian market.

In her position, Annabel is particularly focused on enhancing customer and community relationships, aiming to fortify Westpac's brand identity during transformative times for the financial sector. Her leadership style and strategic vision align well with Westpac’s goals of expanding customer engagement and brand resilience, especially as the bank navigates modern challenges and community expectations

About Colleen

It’s been a tough few years, and it’s not over yet. Is being playful or humorous a risky strategy? Should brands stand back? Yet, to be memorable, brands need to tap into our emotions.

The current narrative is that humour is a powerful emotional device. When a punchline is the difference between being cringeworthy or a crack-up, getting it wrong can be costly. But being playful, however, is de-stressing and lightens the load – if your audience is in the mood for it.

With so much at stake, we sent our finest research minds into the field to find out. They chatted with a couple of thousand New Zealanders and Australians and mulled it over with comedians, brand owners and creative types. Then they spent hours analysing this research to uncover the uncommon truth.

Join Colleen Ryan and special guests, comedians Tom Sainsbury and Brynley Stent, stars of Silo’s upcoming show Camping, for a barrel of humorous insights into the findings.

About Colleen

Colleen Ryan is recognised in the international research industry for her notable contributions to innovation in research. Together with Wendy Gordon, she co-founded The Research Business International (TRBI), lauded for its pioneering role in the methodologies of insight gathering and application, and creating the boutique research category in the UK.

Over the last decade, Colleen has played a pivotal role at TRA as a partner, steering thought leadership and innovation strategies within TRA's operations across Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland.

Her expertise is extensive and multifaceted, encompassing brand strategy, cultural sociology, cognitive psychology, behavioural science, applying these disciplines to continuous innovation in research and its application to marketing.

About Kelly

Kelly launched Special PR in April 2021 as part of the Special Group network, swiftly establishing it as New Zealand's most awarded PR agency. Under her leadership, the agency has grown to over 15 staff across Australia and New Zealand, known for its integrated, "earned-led" campaigns for major brands. Prior to Special PR, Kelly was the PR Lead at Virgin Atlantic, marking the peak of her decade-long career in the UK, where she honed her expertise in high-impact PR strategies. Her experience has enabled Special PR to create innovative campaigns that resonate on an international scale.

About Mike

Mike Felix is the joint Chief Creative Officer of dentsu Aotearoa. He has been ranked in the top 30 Creative Directors in the world by the Big Won Report(2019) and D&AD (2022). Notable work includes four of New Zealand Lotto’s popular Imagine commercials as well as digital projects like Steinlager’s Fight For Territory, Re:scam for Netsafe and Samsung iTest – which was presented at DDO 2022 after winning New Zealand’s second only D&AD Black Pencil and evolving into Try Galaxy, Samsung’s global switching platform.

About Brett

Since starting his career in 2006, Brett’s worked at some of the region’s best agencies, including DDB New Zealand, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and Colenso BBDO.

In that time he’s proud to have created both award winning and publicly loved campaigns for a bunch of different clients, with some of his best known campaigns including DB Export Brewtroleum, The Samsung Smart Phone Line and Nimble Finance's "Unexpected Happens".

Over the years, Brett's managed to pick up awards at all the major shows, including a Grand Prix and Titanium Lion at Cannes, and two Yellow Pencils at D&AD.

And in 2017 Big Won report, Brett was ranked the #3 Art Director in the world.

You can check out his work at brettcolliver.carbonmade.com

About Lindsey

With 26 years’ experience in Marketing, Comms & Business Management, including senior roles in the public sector, Lindsey has set up Turas, which means ‘journey’ in Scottish Gaelic.  She says: “There aren’t many coaches for leaders in Marketing & Comms who are also a practitioner.  I get it – I’ve travelled the road myself and there’s not much I haven’t seen or done.”

Turas helps Marketing & Comms leaders conquer stereotyping, hierarchy & bureaucracy, enabling them to connect strategically into the business and achieve real results for themselves and their organisation at the highest level.  And in doing so, enjoy their leadership journey.

About Travena

Travena is a senior marketing professional who has had over 15+ years of experience. She has been involved in a range of MarTech implementation that has been complex within large enterprises. She has worked directly on solution builds as well as implementing strategies that are centred around the three P’s - People/ Platform/ Process.

About Suzi

Founder Suzi McAlpine is a leadership development specialist and author of the bestselling book Beyond Burnout and the award-winning leadership blog, The Leader’s Digest.

She studies, writes and teaches about accomplished leadership, what magic emerges when it’s present and how to ignite better leadership in individuals, teams and organisations.

Suzi graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Business Studies (First Class Hons) in Management and spent 10 years as an Associate Director and shareholder at OCG Consulting where she was part of the management team who led the business through double digit growth before selling the business to a multinational.

She then spent four years as a Managing Consultant at Futurestep, a division of Korn Ferry, partner to over 93% of Fortune 100 companies, before starting the business that would become Suzi McAlpine Leadership in 2011.

About Clint

Clint is a proud Kiwi marketer fixated on creative use of data to power more effective marketing. He introduced email marketing to NZ, invented Virtual Rugby, built NZ’s first mobile website and once sent 2-metre fenceposts to farmers - and called it direct mail.

During the past 20-years in Australia he’s automated sales processes for the largest residential property developer, designed customer programs for quick service restaurants and invented Australia’s biggest fuel loyalty program – from scratch. He’s back in NZ to help local businesses drive more capability.

About Luke

Luke Rive, Marketing Director at McDonald's New Zealand, is known for his innovative, creative campaigns that engage audiences across generations. Notable projects include the “Driver Tax” campaign, which leveraged relatable humor by allowing users to calculate a “driver tax” for food orders on summer road trips, creating a strong seasonal association with McDonald's. His recent work also introduced the viral Grimace Shake to New Zealand, adapted with a local twist in a nationwide road trip campaign featuring Kiwi landmarks. Luke’s approach emphasizes brand resonance through playful, authentic storytelling, aiming to make McDonald's a staple in Kiwi culture and drive engagement through relatable, “earned-led” content.

About Georgia

Georgia Mahaffie is the Head of Brand and Marketing at One NZ, leading the strategic rebranding effort that transitioned Vodafone NZ to One NZ. Since joining in 2022, Georgia has focused on reshaping the brand to reflect a distinctly New Zealand identity, building a brand that resonates with local values and simplifies customer experiences. The rebranding included initiatives like "One Good Kiwi," a digital platform supporting charitable causes, and a commitment to sustainability, including aligning with the Ad Net Zero program to reduce advertising emissions. Georgia’s leadership has positioned One NZ as a brand with a strong local commitment, aiming to drive both environmental and social impact in New Zealand.

About Dominic

Results-driven executive leader with 25+ years of international business experience, specialising in large, complex organisations within competitive markets. Recognised for a keen understanding of consumer dynamics and commitment to integrating the voice of the customer into business strategy. A forward-thinking strategist, adept at translating foresight into impactful business strategies, leading teams through unified change and implementation. Commercially astute practitioner with a proven track record in financial disciplines, risk management, and team leadership. I lead a team of 100 people with a globally benchmarked top-ranked team engagement.

As a founding member of Foodstuffs Precision Media startup, I showcase a pioneering spirit in developing and implementing a unique media proposition with dunnhumby, London. My entrepreneurial experience includes successfully architecting the digital landscape for optimal demand generation, democratising customer intelligence and insights, and establishing 'Centre of Excellence' teams for specialist services. This diverse skill set encompasses whole of business strategic planning, change management, strategic marketing, and insight-led innovation, contributing to significant revenue and share growth.

About Andy

Andy Lark is a globally awarded marketer and leader in social and digital technologies. He is the CEO of Group Lark and former Chief Marketing and Online Officer for Australia’s leading financial institution, the Commonwealth Bank. Previous career employment includes senior positions at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Dell, LogLogic, Sun Microsystems, Nortel Networks and Fleishman-Hillard International. He is also a partner at Number 8 Ventures – New Zealand’s leading technology venture capital firm and is on the advisory boards of Xero, Xsigo and Prof Gary Hamel’s Management Innovation Exchange.

Andy has 25 years of experience across business-to-business and consumer sectors building successful businesses and leading award-winning marketing programs and teams for Fortune and Times 100 companies, global technology brands, start-ups and the world’s hottest advertising and communications agencies. Andy was at the helm of executing the marketing strategies for Commonwealth Bank, Dell, and Emirates Team New Zealand during his tenure. For Commonwealth Bank, he and his team were responsible for the eWallet for smartphones and Facebook as well as the ‘Can’ Campaign - one of Australia’s largest brand campaigns.

Andy has won over 100 awards for work in building brands and creating online capabilities, most notably the Flying Kiwi Award for outstanding contribution to technology and the Facebook Studio Award for the Commbank Community seeds. Today he leads Group Lark – a global consultancy driving brand and digital transformations for the world’s leading countries and enterprises. Group Lark helps great ideas flourish in a digital world – and great brands design their future there.

A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree from Auckland University. When he is not immersed in work, he is a competitive sailor, a very non-competitive cyclist and writer. His Blog, the daily lark, is in the Top 100 ranked marketing blogs globally and his book, The Connected Customer, will be published shortly worldwide.

About Annemarie

Annemarie Browne is the Marketing Director at Lion NZ, where she leads the brand strategies for some of New Zealand's most iconic beverage brands. Known for her strategic vision and commitment to cultural relevance, she recently spearheaded Lion's partnership with PHD Aotearoa to enhance the brand’s market presence and cultural impact across New Zealand. Prior to Lion, Browne earned significant acclaim as the Chief Marketing Officer at Lotto NZ, where she was instrumental in developing award-winning campaigns like the Imagine series and LOST campaign, which increased social engagement and elevated Lotto's brand to new creative heights.

At Lion, Browne focuses on connecting the brand’s values with New Zealand audiences, aiming to support both brand innovation and community-centric initiatives. Her work is characterized by a dedication to purpose-driven marketing, balancing brand authenticity with dynamic consumer engagement.

About Fraser

Fraser is the Marketing Director at DB, with a broad range of expertise in the FMCG industry. Fraser joined DB from Nestle NZ where he was Head of Marketing – Brand, Shopper & Digital, and before that held senior marketing roles in FMCG across New Zealand and the UK. As Marketing Director, Fraser is responsible for the leadership, development, communication, and implementation of our strategic marketing plan and the Marketing team.

About Oliver

Oli Downs is the General Manager of Marketing at Asahi Beverages New Zealand, where he oversees the brand strategies for Asahi’s diverse portfolio, including innovative campaigns and product launches. Recently, he led the introduction of the Asahi Super Dry Nama Jokki, a self-foaming beer can designed to mimic the draught experience—a first for New Zealand. This launch highlights Downs’ focus on enhancing the brand’s appeal through unique, customer-driven experiences. Downs has also fostered partnerships, like with The Monkeys Aotearoa, to align Asahi’s branding efforts with purpose-led storytelling and local market relevance.