Lara Thom is currently Chief Marketing Officer at Guzman y Gomez. GYG is Australia’s fastest-growing fast food company, serving real, made-to-order Mexican food using real, fresh produce and authentic ingredients. With speed, technology and innovation at the core of the business, Guzman y Gomez is reinventing fast food by showing it’s possible to serve good food, fast, without compromising on nutrition or quality. GYG are leading through innovation with their market leading app and world first partnership with X, sister company of Google to trial delivery of burritos via drone which made global headlines in October 2017. Roy Morgan research found 92% of customers are satisfied with their Guzman y Gomez experience, the highest satisfaction rate of any QSR in Australia. And in early 2017 GYG was named the quick-service restaurant of the year at The Roy Morgan Research Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Guzman y Gomez operates more than 97 taquerias and drive-thrus in Australia, Singapore and Japan.

Lara joined Guzman y Gomez after a period as General Manager of Digital and Marketing for Vittoria Food & Beverage. Lara is an entrepreneur at heart and thrives within founder led businesses. Having launched several successful ventures, including digital agency Be.Interactive (which was sold to Salmat in 2010), babywear brand “L’il Fraser Collection” and the “Junior MasterChef” range of children’s cookware and aprons, Lara strives to keep the entrepreneurial spirit of invention and expansion at the core of GYG’s marketing. Lara is a mother to 5 children under the age of 12 and spends her weekends driving children to sports and answering questions like “are you completely mad?”

Shahrooz Chowdhury joined Guzman y Gomez as Chief Digital Officer in 2015, with a responsibility for digital marketing, data, business transformation and building the product & engineering capability to develop apps, APIs & digital platforms. This includes driving growth through building and optimising customer experience across touch points, social, loyalty and community.

He joined Domain in 2013 to head up the consumer marketing team and lead the business through a digital transformation program including building their marketing technology ecosystem and team capability in digital performance, mobile, search, content, social and analytics as an engine for growth.

Shahrooz holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance, Accounting & Marketing and was a B&T 30 under 30 winner in 2016. He also leads the company as the highest member of the GOMEX loyalty program and will fiercely defend his unofficial title as Chief Burrito Eater.

An Aussie based in New York, Jon Bird is Executive Director, Global Retail & Shopper Marketing for VML, a leading marketing agency with 3,000 staff across 33 locations. In his role leading VML’s retail practice, Jon works at the intersection of digital and retail for some of the world’s best brands.

Prior to relocating to the US, Jon was a founding partner and Executive Chairman of IdeaWorks, which became the region’s foremost retail marketing agency. He has also served as Director of Retail Marketing for M&C Saatchi.

Jon is a regular and passionate commentator on all things retail, speaking at events and conferences from Sydney to Santiago.

When not working on retail, Jon likes to be in retail – shopping physically and digitally, picking up on trends and gathering new insights.

Bio to come…

Larry co-founded zipMoney in 2013 following 12 years’experience in IT, retail, corporate finance and investment banking at Pacific Brands, Macquarie Capital and Deutsche Bank. He is a former consultant to Fintechs Prospa, Money in Advance and Live TaxiEpay. Larry is a Qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Information Technology and Master of Commerce (Finance).

Zip Money is an ASX-listed Fintech delivering interest-free payments at the digital checkout. Alternative payments, like Zip, help retailers drive customer conversion and higher baskets, whilst providing a seamless and flexible checkout experience for consumers. Zip is now accepted at over 10,000 locations, online and instore, and there are over 700,000 users across the Group. Zip Money is focused on responsible financial services and holds an Australian credit licence and financial services licence.

Bronwyn only recently joined Tyro to take up the role of Director of Product, after 12 years in senior roles at the CBA. She is an experienced executive in financial services and had a consulting career in the U.S. and across Asia working with clients from multiple industries.  She has a passion for driving transformational change to organisations and teams leveraging on technology and disruptive thinking to deliver exceptional client outcomes.

Bronwyn was born in Hong Kong and her family moved to San Francisco when she was 10.  Having grown up in the United States with her Chinese heritage has equipped Bronwyn with the appreciation of both western and eastern perspectives.  Bronwyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from UCLA and a Masters of Business Administration from The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.

Matt is responsible for the development and execution of Mastercard’s product strategy in Australasia, including Core (Credit, Debit, Commercial and Prepaid products), Digital (Masterpass and Mastercard Digital Enablement Service) and New Payments Flows (Mastercard Send and Fast ACH). Matt has held this role since early 2017.

In his previous role as Senior Vice President, Digital Payments and Labs for North America, based in New York for three years, he was responsible for Masterpass, Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES), Mastercard Send, contactless and EMV adoption. Matt was instrumental in the establishment of Mastercard’s digital payments platforms that will be the foundation in the evolution of global payments.

Matt originally joined Mastercard as Head of Market Development and Innovation based in Sydney, where he was responsible for the development of emerging payment services, including both mobile and e-commerce payments and the development of the world leading contactless ecosystem.

Prior to joining MasterCard in 2011, Mr. Barr was an Executive at Telstra, Australia’s leading telecommunications company, where he was responsible for core mobile services product development.

Mr. Barr has also worked in Retail Banking, New Media and Management Consulting in a broad career that has provided invaluable experience in the definition and delivery of technology and service based innovation.

Mr. Barr holds an Honours Degree in Electrical Engineering from Canterbury University, New Zealand, and, as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and an MSC in Economics.

A media professional with over 10 years experience in both print and digital journalism, public relations and corporate communications. Passions include technology, travel, business, aviation, cars and motorsports, media, tennis, and family. An enthusiastic and sociable people person with a track record of building and maintaining relationships and strengthening brands.

Bio to come…

Karen Messitt is Owner and Managing Director at Instigate.

Instigate specialises in Digital, Creative, Promotions & Events. We generate ideas that captivate our client’s consumers and encourage them to engage with their brands. We gather intelligence from a multitude of contact points and optimise consumer paths to purchase delivering measurable business results every time. At Instigate we pride ourselves on client service and as a result our clients see us as an integral part of their team.

Being a digital focused Advertising Agency, we love coming up with the “Big Idea” and are passionate about bringing it to life by creating a strong campaign together with a key visual that works across an array of media channels and platforms.

Instigate provides strategy, concept generation, creative, production and management of a campaign right through to execution in the marketplace. Karen alone has 23 years of experience creating award-winning and highly effective marketing campaigns with a real focus on ROI.

Karen has developed award winning digital advertising & sales Promotion campaigns for a host of blue chip international brands across a range of industry sectors, some of which include Commonwealth Bank, Diageo, General Motors, Vodafone, Chevron Group, British Airways, The Hilton Hotel Group and Bayer.
Specifically Karen has worked with the following FMCG brands and retailers:
Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Kraft, Cadburys, Goodman Fielder, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Group, Musgrave, Spar, SuperValu, Kerry Foods, Glaxo Smithkline, The Burton Group, Champion Sports Group, Jervis Group & Westfield.

Click here to see the services we provide and find more about Instigate: www.instigate.com.au

Instigate has in recent years developed a product called Optic Insights which is the latest technology of its kind in facial recognition and consumer retail analytics.

Optic Insights are a leading innovator in facial recognition, video surveillance and retail analytics. We provide tailored retail analytics via camera surveillance solutions, delivering valuable, real-time insights about your stores that are accessible via your own secure web based dashboard.

Optic Insights provide a wide range of facial recognition systems that others in the market cannot. Our software outperforms all others in the global market. Along with competitive pricing, we guarantee our retail analytic tools and resulting insights will make a significant positive impact on your bottom line making our services and security solutions self-funding for our customers.

We have current and future needs of all retail types and sizes in mind when designing our solutions. We are committed to providing world class retail analytics and business protection. We deliver valuable business insights via facial recognition helping you to save money and run your stores more efficiently.
Click here to find out more about Optic Insights www.opticinsights.com

Paul is a highly awarded Creative Leader having produced multiple campaigns which have been recognised domestically and internationally for their creativity and effectiveness. In 2012 Paul joined The Works as Creative Partner were his work across a range of clients has garnered further accolades. He is part of the management team that has seen significant agency growth and innovation. With a passion for new formats, channels and technologies Paul is constantly exploring new ways to communicate with consumers and achieve business results.

A family marketing expert, building brand affinity using “play”.

Tina Cardinale is a leading expert in family marketing, showing companies how to use the power of play to create meaningful connections between people and brands. As General Manager, Tina leads the Australian arm of international family marketing agency, Creata – a global brand idea and activation company that understands play like no one else.  Creata in Australia counts McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Woolworths Supermarkets among its clients, who come to Tina and her team for marketing campaigns that invoke the PlayState. Tina has built the agency’s capabilities in sales promotion, brand products and licensing over the past decade, while also adding play strategy and digital services such as apps and games.

Radinck is the AU/NZ Managing Director for Stocard – the mobile wallet app which lets users store all their loyalty cards in one place. Prior to Stocard, Radinck worked at Apple, Criteo and Spotify in various business development and management positions, having always been passionate about building technology companies and thriving in a fast paced start-up environment. “I’m driven to work in an industry that aims to simplify and improve lives”.

Affectionately known as RV, Radinck is half Australian, half Dutch. Being the son of an ambassador, Radinck travelled a lot as a kid and lived in many different places, before settling in the Netherlands to study International Business and later moving to Sydney from Amsterdam with his young family. When not working on the Stocard expansion Radinck spends as much time as possible with family and friends as well as catching up on his love for football.

Josie Tutty is Mumbrella’s opinion and features editor. She’s previously written and edited in the UK for Jungle Creations and Trinity Mirror.

Andrew Gorecki, MD of Retail Directions, has worked with the retail industry since 1985. Industry insiders appreciate his strategic advice and insights, as he lives and breathes for the industry. Andrew was instrumental in establishing Retail Directions in 1994, and received a nomination for the Australian Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010.  He has a Masters of Engineering degree in industrial engineering and IT. Between 2008 and 2017 Andrew was a non-executive director of Reece Ltd and its subsidiary companies. He has published numerous books and articles.

Adam oversees Mumbrella’s sponsored features, podcasts and videos as well as contributing editorial.

A diverse career has seen him work as a feature writer, copy editor and news reporter for more than 30 British newspapers and magazines including GQ, Esquire, The Sunday Times, The News of the World, The Sunday Mirror, Gentleman’s Journal, Cosmopolitan and NME. He’s written profiles on England footballer Paul Gascoigne, famed sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and pop star Tinie Tempah.

Commercially, he has written copy for luxury clients such as The Ritz-Carlton hotels, Grenson shoes, Princess Yachts and Mr Porter as well as editing celebrity autobiographies.

A self-taught journalist, he started his career in 2005 leading York Vision to win Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year as editor while being twice nominated for Reporter of the Year.

Alexander Meyer is a user-centric and innovation-driven Chief Marketing Officer with an entrepreneurial spirit. He has collected his main experiences in youth culture, brand marketing, digital, strategic planning and leadership. Alex has gained international work experience in global, regional and local business environments, with a steady focus on bridging the intersection between brand, product and sales. Alex has worked for large consumer brands such as adidas and Vans, as well as running his own creative branding agency and working with and in small tech startups. He is a husband and a father of two young boys.

Zoe is a journalist currently working at Mumbrella as a reporter. She assists the editors in reporting on news related to the media, publishing and marketing sectors, more specifically media owners.

Zoe has previously covered the advertising agency beat.

She has worked overseas, writing for an international newspaper in Seoul, and did a major in Italian studies at university.

Chris joined Super Retail Group in 2007. He is a graduate of the Australian Graduate School of Management and has over 25 years retail and wholesale experience across Australasia, US and the greater Asia Pacific region. Prior to Super Retail Group, Chris was General Manager at Toys ‘R’ Us and previously spent 13 years with Woolworths, holding Senior Management roles in Merchandise, as well as Retail Operations within Dick Smith and Big W. Chris is responsible for the Supercheap Auto Retail Stores, Trade, Online and Auto Trade Direct businesses.

David is the General Manager of Customer Communication and Engagement for Supercheap Auto, and is responsible for developing the marketing strategy of the thriving retail business, specialising in automotive parts and accessories. With 10 years experience in the brand, David has seen the business grow from less than 200 stores with annual sales turnover of $500 million, to having over 300 stores with annual sales approaching $1 billion. Supercheap Auto is the largest brand in the Super Retail Group and for 10 consecutive years has delivered sales and EBIT growth, in a mature market.

Under David’s marketing lead, the Supercheap Auto brand has evolved from a traditional high / low product-and-price based retailer, to a brand which has an engaged community of customers and brand advocates. This transition has been driven through clever creative, an effective media mix, social and content programs. Supercheap Auto also has a history of successfully leveraging its sponsorship assets to create impactful retail sales events.

A media professional with over 10 years experience in both print and digital journalism, public relations and corporate communications. Passions include technology, travel, business, aviation, cars and motorsports, media, tennis, and family. An enthusiastic and sociable people person with a track record of building and maintaining relationships and strengthening brands.

Adam Singles is the Marketing and Innovations Manager at Obela Fresh Dips and Spreads, Australia’s number 1 branded manufacturer of chilled dips. Adam started with the business 5 years ago prior to the launch of the Obela brand of dips which has Hommus at its core.

With Adam as the brand and the product portfolio custodian the Obela business, in a short period of time, has become market share leader of the Hommus category and has driven high category growth helping transform Hommus from a niche category to mainstream. This growth has come through an amazing product, working closely with retail partners, a laser-focused marketing strategy with innovative product development and communication plans aimed to address the marketing challenge and target key consumers. Adam is a business leader balancing pragmatism and strategic marketing to lead a highly motivated and very creative marketing and innovations team that is getting results.

In addition to Adam’s marketing skills he is a passionate foodie, enjoys working in entrepreneurial environments and loves data driven Marketing.

Wayne Dagg is Joint Managing Director of the Conversion Group – a leading marketing services group with expertise in areas such as shopper marketing, live and experiential activations and display production. The Group works with blue chip clients including Colgate, Obela, Sunbeam & Nestle.

Wayne has worked in retail marketing and FMCG in particular for 19 years – first at Procter and Gamble and then as Joint MD of Channel 5 Shopper Marketing and Test Drive Sampling and Activation. Wayne is strong advocate of building brands in retail with a passion for using small data to optimise the effectiveness of instore activations.

Abigail is currently a reporter at the media and marketing publication Mumbrella covering both the creative and PR space. In 2016 she completed her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University in Melbourne, majoring in politics, economies and businesses. During her three year degree Abigail completed multiple internships across different publications including Mamamia, Channel 10 and 3AW.

David West is a retail consultant with over 25 years’ experience in managing and marketing mainstreets and shopping centres including Westfield Marion and Rundle Mall in Adelaide. David has travelled across the UK and USA regularly including a 12 month period working in London. David provides retail and business advice to Councils, towns and City centres across Australia and New Zealand including projects in Parramatta, Fremantle, Glenelg, Melbourne, Adelaide and Christchurch.

David developed and implemented the Adelaide City Retail Strategy 2015-2020. David is passionate about well managed streets and collective marketing and he has written a comprehensive guide called Mainstreet Management : Successful Retail Strategies which is available at www.premierretailmarketing.com.au.

Zoe is a journalist currently working at Mumbrella as a reporter. She assists the editors in reporting on news related to the media, publishing and marketing sectors, more specifically media owners.

Zoe has previously covered the advertising agency beat.

She has worked overseas, writing for an international newspaper in Seoul, and did a major in Italian studies at university.

Currently acting CMO at KFC Australia, with over 15 years retail marketing experience working within Carlton United Breweries, McDonalds Australia and Pernod Ricard.

Annabel is passionate about ideas that demand attention, being pushed out of her comfort zone and making sure every imprint leaves a smile. My biggest fear is being beige, believing brand complacency threatens both sales growth and brand love.

Abigail is currently a reporter at the media and marketing publication Mumbrella covering both the creative and PR space. In 2016 she completed her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University in Melbourne, majoring in politics, economies and businesses. During her three year degree Abigail completed multiple internships across different publications including Mamamia, Channel 10 and 3AW.

Renee Gamble is Google’s Industry Leader of Retail, Technology, Telecommunications and Energy where her responsibilities include growing and stewarding Google’s customer relationships with CxOs of some of the largest organizations in ANZ. Renee joined Google in 2015 to head up the ANZ Google Cloud business, before taking on her current role in 2017. Renee is also the co-Lead of the ANZ Women@Google Employee Resource Group.

Renee brings an extensive track record of technology and business innovation leadership. Before joining Google she spent over 10 years at Microsoft in Singapore and Australia in various sales and business leadership roles. She previously worked as an industry analyst and business leader with IT & Telecommunications research advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC) across Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. Earlier experience included IP start-ups and software firms.

Renee has a Bachelor of Arts (Social Science) from the University of Technology Sydney and a Masters of Commerce (Electronic Commerce) from Curtin University, Australia. Away from the office, Renee enjoys family life with her husband and two daughters and escaping for short breaks to travel and explore.

Focused on peering into the future and building what’s missing using the latest technology available. Heavy focus on Mobile since 2000 building platforms for both global brands and startups. Founded a bunch of startups and hold several patents along a journey since the Internet was born.

His main focus currently is around Cloud based back-ends that feed a Mobile UI, gathering & analysing data from many sources. Currently working with teams on Artificial Intelligence (AI) using human & machine learning techniques (Cognitive computing), in the Retail sector.

Other projects currently being developed are based on the Distributed Ledger and Hyperledger based Blockchain technologies driving loyalty and P2P commerce within retail, including the development of “LoyalCoin” a Token based cryptocurrency.

Michael is the Co-Founder and Strategy Director at Yoghurt Digital, a digital marketing agency specialising in user behaviour research, customer data analysis and all things search. His role encompasses designing, developing and implementing digital strategies for the agency’s clients, as well as generating new business. With a background in client services at both traditional advertising and digital agencies, Michael has been privileged to work on the digital campaigns for household names like ANZ Bank, QBE Insurance, H&R Block, Converse, Seafolly and Forever New. Michael is also a guest-lecturer at the University of NSW and was recently named the winner of the Australian Marketing Institute’s “Future Marketing Leader” award.

Pressy Sankaran is the Head of Criteo ANZ. As the regional lead, he is responsible for developing and implementing market level, performance driven solutions in the ANZ region. He is also responsible for developing and implementing commercial strategies that hero Criteo’s overarching goals and objectives, in addition to overseeing a variety of departments within the organisation.

Pressy started his career with Criteo in 2012 at the company’s New York office. There he was responsible for developing strategic relationships with key businesses in the ecommerce industry.

In 2014 Pressy moved to Sydney where he was tasked with building upon the network of existing relationships Criteo had, as well as driving business growth across the region. He also spends a lot of time educating and evangelising the market about the benefits and potential of digital performance advertising.

Prior to working at Criteo, Pressy had ten years of experience in the performance marketing space in New York. This spanned several channels including search, retargeting, prospecting display and email and affiliate marketing. He has a wealth of experience across both the US and ANZ markets, and has seen the evolution of performance marketing expand from simple ROI models to complex, consumer-oriented strategy.

Paul has been lucky to be on the frontline of the world’s digital transformation as a writer, speaker and consultant helping businesses and communities adapt to a rapidly changing world.

As a freelance writer on digital disruption and technological change, Paul has been a paid contributor to The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, Diginomica, Business Spectator, the Sydney Morning Herald, Crikey, Startup Smart and Communications Day along with being a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio programs.

In his speaking engagements, he’s been Master of Ceremonies for events such as The City of Sydney’s Lets Talk Business program, Small Business September and the Association for Data driven Marketing and Advertising’s (ADMA) Global Forum.

Along with MCing events, he’s presented keynotes, workshops and sat on panels for a wide range of business and community events. He has also provided media training services through Reputation Australia.

Over the past ten years, Paul has been helping organisations with their digital strategies. Clients have ranged from small businesses to Google, Microsoft, Vodafone, Xero, MYOB and various government agencies.

In 2011, publisher John Wiley & Sons released his book “The e-Business Guide: Seven Steps to Online Success” that showed entrepreneurs and small business owners how they could implement a digital strategy in a weekend for under $100. This was his seventh book on technology and business.

Before moving into communications, Paul worked with the NSW state government’s Department of Industry & Investment in developing the Digital Sydney initiative along with the creation of the state’s Digital Economy strategy.

Prior to joining the NSW Government, he founded an IT support business that his team grew into a national organisation that helped thousands of business and home technology users get more value from their computer system. Before that, he was working in construction engineering in Australia, the UK and East Asia.

Kia Wahl is a Strategic Partner Development Manager at Google Australia, with a focus on supporting Assistant and Maps integrations. Kia has been at Google for 10 years, and has had the opportunity to work across a range of geographies and business areas, from Search to YouTube, and marketing to commercial strategy.

Kia works in the Global Product Partnerships team where she manages the ever evolving world of content partnerships and action integrations.

Before joining Google, Kia held various roles within global creative agencies such as TBWA and Saatchi & Saatchi – advising clients on their digital strategies and helping them to maximise the impact of their campaigns.

Kia is a curious individual who values collaboration and loves creativity.

Paul has been lucky to be on the frontline of the world’s digital transformation as a writer, speaker and consultant helping businesses and communities adapt to a rapidly changing world.

As a freelance writer on digital disruption and technological change, Paul has been a paid contributor to The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, Diginomica, Business Spectator, the Sydney Morning Herald, Crikey, Startup Smart and Communications Day along with being a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio programs.

In his speaking engagements, he’s been Master of Ceremonies for events such as The City of Sydney’s Lets Talk Business program, Small Business September and the Association for Data driven Marketing and Advertising’s (ADMA) Global Forum.

Along with MCing events, he’s presented keynotes, workshops and sat on panels for a wide range of business and community events. He has also provided media training services through Reputation Australia.

Over the past ten years, Paul has been helping organisations with their digital strategies. Clients have ranged from small businesses to Google, Microsoft, Vodafone, Xero, MYOB and various government agencies.

In 2011, publisher John Wiley & Sons released his book “The e-Business Guide: Seven Steps to Online Success” that showed entrepreneurs and small business owners how they could implement a digital strategy in a weekend for under $100. This was his seventh book on technology and business.

Before moving into communications, Paul worked with the NSW state government’s Department of Industry & Investment in developing the Digital Sydney initiative along with the creation of the state’s Digital Economy strategy.

Prior to joining the NSW Government, he founded an IT support business that his team grew into a national organisation that helped thousands of business and home technology users get more value from their computer system. Before that, he was working in construction engineering in Australia, the UK and East Asia.

Pippa is the Co-Director of RetailOasis, a business consultancy dedicated to creating the future of retail. She’s has a life long passion for understanding human behaviour. She’s worked with a raft of established retail businesses through to start-ups helping them understand how to appeal to their current and future customer. She’s also a member of iFAB – a global think tank focused on the helping fashion businesses stay relevant.

Adam oversees Mumbrella’s sponsored features, podcasts and videos as well as contributing editorial.

A diverse career has seen him work as a feature writer, copy editor and news reporter for more than 30 British newspapers and magazines including GQ, Esquire, The Sunday Times, The News of the World, The Sunday Mirror, Gentleman’s Journal, Cosmopolitan and NME. He’s written profiles on England footballer Paul Gascoigne, famed sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and pop star Tinie Tempah.

Commercially, he has written copy for luxury clients such as The Ritz-Carlton hotels, Grenson shoes, Princess Yachts and Mr Porter as well as editing celebrity autobiographies.

A self-taught journalist, he started his career in 2005 leading York Vision to win Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year as editor while being twice nominated for Reporter of the Year.

Matt Ware’s been around digital a long time; back before the Y2K bug was even a thing. Prior to becoming Head of Operations at First, Matt helped realise the value of digital at Sensis, News Ltd, Reed Business Information and Dynamic Creative.

Over the last 18 years Matt has worked in the fields of SEO, Performance Media, Social, Mobile and CRO with a specific focus on how to improve Customer Experience and Engagement using Data and Analytics.

Most recently Matt has started to explore the value of AI, Machine Learning and how Voice enabled devices can be used to interact with customers in real time to answer their questions and needs.

Some of the clients Matt has worked with include: Flight Centre, Fairfax Digital, TradeMe, BigW, Fiji Airways, UNSW, Officeworks, Dymocks, Grays Online, TAB and Qantas Holidays to name just a few.

Matt’s relentless pursuit to know his clients and their competitors inside and out places him in a unique position to bring vital insight to First’s clients.

Daniel is the Head of eCommerce at Officeworks, where he responsible to deliver the every-channel strategy across the online portfolio. Using latest technology, he is constantly looking for better ways to connect customers with brand and products anywhere, anytime, and in any way they want.

He has spent more than a decade in multi-channel retail environments in Europe and Australia, delivering a wide range of customer focused improvements with proven and measurable results. In the offline world, you will most likely find him enjoying the outdoors and nature with his wife and dog Humphrey.

Bio to come…

James Hudson joined Alibaba Group in May 2016 as one of the first employees of the company in Australia. James oversees Alibaba Group’s corporate affairs and marketing functions in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Prior to joining Alibaba Group, James was the Chief Executive Officer of the Australia China Business Council’s NSW Branch supporting member companies in their trade, investment and business engagement with China. Prior to joining ACBC, James was the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) as the China and East Asia Adviser providing guidance to the organisation on its strategic science partnerships, and commercialisation and licensing activities with the Asian region.

James studied Chinese and economics at the University of London and spent four years living, studying Chinese and working in Beijing. James has been appointed to a number of Advisory Board and Ambassador roles for various organisations including the Asia Education Foundation, the China Australia Millennial Project, AsiaRecon, Asian Football Cup, Austrade’s Approved Destination Status Advisory Panel and with Asialink as an Asialink Leader.

James is proficient in Chinese Mandarin and passionate about helping companies engage new markets in China and beyond.

Ophenia Liang is the Co-founder & Director of Digital Crew. Liang is a specialist digital marketer into China with both academic and practical experience across the APAC region. She has assisted key global brands to enter and grow in the Chinese market through her strategic planning, execution and evaluation.  She is also a highly sought-after speaker, as a result of her knowledge and digital marketing expertise selling into Asian markets, particularly China. Liang’s area of expertise covers Chinese marketing, team management, account management, strategic planning, international media planning, PPC (GAP Qualified), Baidu SEM (Senior consultant), SEO, social media and web analytics. She holds a public relations degree from Sun Yat-Sen University, a Masters in Marketing from Melbourne University and is an accredited translator with the National Authority of Translators and Interpreters. Liang is also a guest Chinese Curator for the Global Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA).

Awards: Ophenia is Winner of City of Sydney Business Award, Young Entrepreneur 2017; Winner of ACAA ICT & New Media Award; and finalist of B & T Women in Media.

Darren is currently Head of Agency Sales SEA and Europe of iClick Interactive Asia Limited, based out of Singapore. Prior to joining iClick, over the past thirteen years, Darren had held roles in a number of prominent ad tech and media companies spanning three markets including UK, Australia and now Singapore. Darren began the backbone of his digital career at Yahoo! London where his passion for data driven marketing was initially unearthed across paid search. Transferring to Australia to work for Yahoo!7 Darren gained a wider view of digital working across paid search and then display.

To allow a completely holistic and unbiased understanding of market-wide performance and brand advertising across digital, Darren spent three years’ agency-side at Zenith Optimedia and Ikon Communications. Here he led integrated media teams for clients such as Qantas, Citibank, News International and Vodafone. Returning to London, this is where Darren joined iClick Interactive and set up the EU part of the business as employee number one in London. From here he has subsequently moved to Singapore to help further their footprint into more markets across APAC.

Tom Parker is a China specialist with a focus on collaboration between Australia and China to broaden our bilateral relationship. A Mandarin speaker, Tom’s long-term engagement with China has resulted in impressive networks and successful business outcomes. He has held China focused roles in The Asialink Centre, Austrade (Beijing), City of Melbourne and as writer and reporter for the ABC in both China and Australia for Radio National’s Asia Pacific Program.

Tom has managed programs and facilitated business and government partnerships in China for the City of Melbourne including raising the profile of the Melbourne-Tianjin Sister City relationship and recently leading the business delegation for the NSW Premier’s China Mission. In 2007, Tom was keynote speaker at the CPA China Summit, and regularly delivers intercultural training programs for multinational clients in Australia and China including: the Australian Football League, AMP, Intrepid Travel, Lonely Planet, Morgan Stanley, FDI and the Melbourne Football Club.

A media professional with over 10 years experience in both print and digital journalism, public relations and corporate communications. Passions include technology, travel, business, aviation, cars and motorsports, media, tennis, and family. An enthusiastic and sociable people person with a track record of building and maintaining relationships and strengthening brands.