F.Y.I.

Clear Hayes House adds top marketers to SXSW Sydney 2025 lineup

October 10, 2025 1:21

Clear Hayes House has confirmed a star-studded roster of marketing leaders for its events during SXSW Sydney 2025.

The announcement:

Clear Hayes House has added top marketers from Uber, Qantas, Petbarn, Blackmores, URBNSURF, DiDi, The Breakout Hack and more to bolster its powerhouse line-up of industry leaders, cementing its reputation as the home of the cmo for SXSW Sydney® 2025.

From Monday 13 to Friday 17 October, Darling Harbour’s Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium will transform into the industry’s favourite meeting place, with more than 30 recognised marketing leaders taking to the stage throughout the week across a range of exciting events which are free to attend, even for people without SXSW Sydney passes.

This latest announcement adds some of the biggest names in brand and marketing to an already stacked agenda, including:

Lucinda Barlow (Uber), Joanne Smith (Blackmores Group), Mark Richardson (Petbarn), Sonia Thompson (Coco Republic), Manelle Merhi (Kennards Hire), David Morgan (ADMA), Sarla Fernando (Commonwealth Bank), Victoria Primrose (Rawson Group), Tim Farmer (DiDi ANZ), Jackie Lee-Joe (Women’s Asian Cup 2026), Lauren Cain (The Breakout Hack) and Josh Grace (Urbnsurf).

They augment a bumper lineup which includes marketing effectiveness guru James Hurman, respected futurist Dr Catherine Ball and marketing influencer Eugene Healey among a host of top names.

Alex Hayes, principal at Clear Hayes and curator of Clear Hayes House, said: “There’s an incredible range of marketing talent on display at Clear Hayes House this year. From creative gambles to cultural revolutions, measurement to multicultural marketing and ageism to Gen Z, we’re the place to explore the big themes in marketing and connect, collaborate and create with likeminded people. Whatever happens, it won’t be boring!”

The updated program includes an expanded roster of talks, live podcasts and interactive sessions tackling marketing’s biggest questions with honesty and insight. Highlights include:

The Brand Hunch Podcast LIVE – Chello’s Lindsay Rogers and Petbarn’s Mark Richardson unpack the balance of intuition and science in modern marketing.

The Future is Fragmented – Analytic Partners’ Paul Sinkinson on the new rules of marketing effectiveness.

Ask Me Anything: The Marketing Career Edition – Manelle Merhi (Kennards Hire) leads a candid conversation with Joanne Smith (Blackmores), Lucinda Barlow (Uber) and Lucio Ribeiro (TBWA) as part of the ADMA Takeover.

Australia’s Not White, So Why Is Your Marketing? – Ex-Netflix global cmo Jackie Lee-Joe, ADMA chair David Morgan and Victoria Primrose challenge marketers to embrace a modern, multicultural Australia.

The Marketing Club Dinner Club and Panel – On Wednesday evening you can meet likeminded marketers, share a meal and enjoy a panel chat on the future of marketing featuring the likes of Chanel Clarke, Coco Republic’s Sonia Thompson and Manifest Group’s Alex Myers.

From Hustle to High Value – SI Global’s Julia Vargiu and Michael Chin reveal what really drives agency growth and valuation, with Jaywing Australia CEO Tom Geekie.

How the F*ck Did That Get Made – A no-holds-barred look at how the creatively daring DiDi ‘Nudgy’ campaign made it to air.

How to Get Marketers’ Attention – A look at what activities really make an agency stand out and grab the attention of clients as they look for growth, with ex-Samsung cmo Josh Grace.

Beyond the sessions, Clear Hayes House continues to bring the industry together through unmissable social moments and brilliant activations, including:

Free Massages: From Tuesday to Thursday Anchora are laying on free 15-minute massages to help relieve some of that conference fatigue. Booking essential.

Yahoo Coffee Cart and Posca Hydrate: Stay hydrated and caffeinated through the week with free coffee courtesy of Yahoo and Posca Hydrate handing out free samples.

Happy Hours: On Monday and Wednesday Yahoo is getting the bar tab, whilst Tuesday sees the Oceania rep for SXSW and SXSW London shouting the refreshments where you can learn more about those events in 2026.

The Clear Hayes Trivia Night – a fast-paced trivia night for marketers who think they know it all.

Indie Agency Leaders’ Long Lunch – a celebration of Australia’s independent creative community.

The MMAD Closing Party – a neon-soaked finale supporting youth charity Musicians Making a Difference (MMAD).

Partners supporting Clear Hayes House in 2025 include ADMA, Analytic Partners, Anchora, CulturalPulse, Foxcatcher, Hopeful Monsters, Ryvalmedia, SI Global, StudioSpace, Tracksuit, Trimline, Uber Advertising and Yahoo.

Clear Hayes House has also unveiled a new mascot, Gyoza Gary, who will be popping up throughout the week.

Full program and registration details: www.clearhayeshouse.com