Top Talent Marketing School

Tony is a sought-after leadership and team development facilitator and consultant who works with both private and public organisations.

A former CEO and board chair, he combines over 20 years of real-world leadership experience in New Zealand, Europe, Australia, and Asia with best-practice leadership and team development.

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.

Peter Mangin is a leading voice in AI and marketing integration, with over 25 years of experience helping organisations navigate the intersection of technology, strategy, and customer insight.

As Founder and Chief AI Officer at AI Innovisory, he has worked with hundreds of businesses - large and small - to translate AI from hype to practical value, modernising outdated systems and embedding innovation into day-to-day operations.

With deep roots in the advertising industry and a career spanning senior leadership roles, Peter brings a unique ability to bridge commercial priorities with cutting-edge technology.

His workshops and masterclasses are known for demystifying AI, delivering hands-on strategies that marketers can use immediately to drive results.

Committed to making AI both accessible and responsible, Peter is a sought-after facilitator and speaker who equips marketers with the tools they need to lead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Throughout Carl’s 20+ year career as a brand planner, comms strategist, concept developer and researcher he has written hundreds of briefs. Those he’s most proud of have paved the way for ideas that became highly popular with the public and sustained long-term success for his clients. Along the way, his work has been recognised with several gold Marketing Awards, Effie awards, Creative awards, Media awards and a New Zealand Innovation Award.

Carl believes that mastering the art of the brief is a cornerstone in any marketers capability set.

“Who wouldn’t want to create remarkable and effective marketing? It’s the best job in the world. Yet too often, without a clear understanding of how to organise our thinking, marketers can feel intimidated by brief writing, put it off to the last minute, and end up with a brief that only serves to confuse collaborators rather than inspiring them to produce their best work.”

With this course, Carl intends to get more marketers feeling comfortable and confident about briefing so that everyone in our industry can be better set up for success.

Carl has spent more than 30 years exploring how everyday behaviour, cultural change, and data intersect to shape smarter strategies. His career bridges academia, government policy, and commercial insights, bringing a rare blend of rigorous social science and practical business acumen.

In 1999, Carl co-founded No Doubt Research Ltd, one of New Zealand’s first insight agencies to combine social science, knowledge management, and business strategy. By 2006, he launched Research First Ltd, where as Head of Insight he grew the firm into one of New Zealand’s most respected insight agencies.

After nearly two decades at Research First, global funding shifts and pandemic disruptions prompted a reset. In 2025, Carl teamed up with Ann Thompson to launch The Curiosity Company, a space for bold thinking, qualitative depth, and insights that go beyond the numbers.

Carl is the author or editor of ten books on research practice and evidence-based decision-making. He’s passionate about decoding human behaviour and cultural trends, and yes, he’s known for the occasional quirky observation that makes you see the world differently.

Steve has spent over 30 years working in the marketing industry and now runs Brand IQ, a small AI creative studio in Auckland.

To Steve's mind, marketing needed to become simpler and more genuine, not more complicated and chaotic. Stories make the complex simple. They’re inspiring and they motivate people to act and consider brands in new ways.

And so, armed with a proven narrative framework, Steve now helps business owners to replace their labyrinth of confusion with clear, captivating brand stories that inspire action in our noisy and competitive world.