Director of Marcom APAC for WorkBook – currently managing the regional team based in Australia, Singapore & Vietnam – works across all the region including Australia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, ASEAN, India & NZ, and have 20 years’ experience of Operational, Sales, Marketing & Consultancy Services for ERP, Financial, Production & Workflow Ad Management Systems created specifically for Advertising, Digital, PR, Marketing and Creative Agencies. Carl has been privileged to work with some of the top-level executives, at some of the most well-known advertising agency brands in the world, including Ogilvy, Publicis One, Y&R, JWT, Dentsu Aegis Network ANZ, DDB, WPP AU NZ, TBWA, BBDO, Leo Burnett to mention a few. Previously having worked extensively in APAC, EMEA & North America, he has now taken this new and exciting challenge in the APAC region following the acquisition of WorkBook by Deltek.

Dave Munro is an experienced Finance Director with a depth of knowledge on the topic of agency finance systems. During the early stages of his seven years at Host / One Green Bean, he implemented a new finance system to help the agency manage rapid growth while maintaining profitability. Having developed a keen interest in systems, Dave then took on the role of Client Service Director with Pegasus where he spent two years helping clients implement and improve their agency finance systems.

Currently, Dave is the APAC Region Finance Director for We Are Social where he has been a key part of the global project team implementing WorkBook across the We Are Social network. Over the last six months Dave has led the roll out of WorkBook in the Sydney, Shanghai and Singapore offices.

James Greet is one of Australia’s most experienced Agency change leaders. He has worked with the world’s most progressive agencies across both media and creative, where strategic and creative thinking has been what defines and drives their success. He has also worked extensively across Europe, Asia and Australia, and has lived in London, Hong Kong and Sydney.

He began his career in London working in Media in London’s leading full service Agency, Lowe Howard-Spink, before joining the market s first Strategic Media Agency, a start up called PHD, now a global Agency.

This was followed by 3 years in China in the mid-nineties as an early pioneer of Media in the market at Saatchi and Saatchi as Media Director before setting up China’s first ever Media Agency – Zenith Media.

Returning to London to work with BBH, James led the channel strategy team as one of London’s early Engagement Planning practitioners, for all of BBH’s Global and European Clients, before moving to Australia in 2002 to lead OMD as CEO.

During his 14 years in Australia James has also held the CEO role at Mindshare (ANZ, Japan and Korea), worked as the CEO of Ikon (ANZ) working most recently as a Partner at Cummins&Partners building a reputation as a pioneer, helping re-energise underperforming companies and turning them into both market and global network leaders.

This includes turning OMD from a loss-making underperforming business into AdNews Media agency of the Decade (2010), re-energising Mindshare Australia from 5 years of no-growth to Mindshare Worldwide’s Country of the year (2012), reinventing IKON into the market’s lead Media new business winner (2014), and helping evolve Cummins&Partners offering as an integrated Creative:Media Agency.

In his own words he finds an “unnatural comfort in the discomfort of change”. Which is probably why he’s never owned a pair of slippers.

Lindsey has had leadership roles in London, New York and Sydney with a who’s who of premier international brands across business strategy, brand design, marketing and all aspects of communications. She founded the much-lauded creative hot shop Happy Soldiers, was General Manager of Pacific Brands Underwear on the client side and also headed up TBWA London and The Campaign Palace, where she doubled the size and modernized the offering of the much renowned shop. Bringing that experience to Special Group as the founding partner and CEO of the Australian business she has nurtured an open culture and way of working; one that sees both people and ideas grow. In just three and a half years the agency has been awarded Emerging Agency of the Year by Mumbrella, AdNews and B&T and Branding and Design Agency of the Year by B&T and AdNews. The ANZ business was last awarded Mobile Marketing Agency of the Year. Lindsey has also been on the national board of the Communications Council and is a regular judge of agency and effectiveness awards.

New Zealand born Tony Bradbourne returned from a decade working in London and Amsterdam to launch Special in Auckland in 2008.

A decade later Special is now regarded as New Zealand’s most successful Independent Agency ever, winning multiple Agency of the Year titles, EFFIE and creative awards including a Cannes Grand Prix.

Special’s unique model was created to break down the silos of advertising, design and digital thinking to create more effective marketing solutions. One part leading advertising agency (Australasia’s Most Effective Independent Agency – Global EFFIE Awards), one part top design studio (Australasian Branding and Design Agency of the Year – B&T) and one part digital innovation agency (Australasian Mobile Agency of the Year – Campaign Asia).

Special’s output spans everything from award winning packaging, digital campaigns, product innovation, activations and store design through to television shows and short films – whatever creates the biggest positive impact to a client’s fortunes.

Linking Kiwi’s to Iggy Pop in Miami via laptops to re-record ‘The Passenger’ to prove broadband speed, floating a 30ft tall yellow duck unannounced into Auckland harbour, creating a TV show on Instagram, syncing up the Auckland Harbour Bridge to your mobile via Google Play and converting an old concrete mixer truck into the world’s biggest cocktail mixer, are just some of the results.

Special Group now numbers 80 people over the two offices and works with clients Red Bull, Uber, Tourism New Zealand, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Holden, ecostore & Karma Cola to name a few.

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.

Justin Hind is CEO of WiTH Collective, a creative / data / digital / customer focused agency, which he founded with his wife Dominique Hind in 2010. WiTH Collective became part of Dentsu Aegis Network in September 2016, and now has offices in Sydney and Auckland with plans to open in Melbourne imminently.

Justin has over 22 years’ experience including working at agencies such as Y&R / Wunderman, Clemenger BBDO, Leo Burnett and BMF. He’s also had experience working with companies like Qantas, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Telstra, Optus, Foxtel, CBA, IAG, IBM, Ford and Microsoft helping them chart a customer and data led future. Before founding WiTH Collective, Justin joined the fledgling VC backed, mar-tech start-up, Downstream Marketing which became Australia’s leading data-driven, performance media agency. It was later acquired by Adobe in 2010.

Justin is an Economist by professional training, something that’s influenced his love of data, digital and human behaviours which centre around the economics of advertising. He has also had experience on the sell side of M&A after being through the complete process to finalisation twice in the last decade and has dealt with many of the expected and unexpected acquiring groups along the way.

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.

John Wilcox joined Hill Rogers, an Accounting and Financial Advisory firm, in 1987 when his own practice merged with Hill Rogers. His background includes substantial experience in audit, which gave John first-hand experience of the internal workings of many different companies in different industry sectors. He now puts that expertise to work advising a range of businesses on strategic issues and has a number of clients in the media, marketing and advertising space. John’s consulting work includes strategic planning; business planning; management consulting; structuring and restructuring; acquisitions and sales; and mergers. John is a member of many client Advisory Committees and Boards, and enjoys giving the practical, down-to-earth advice that clients need to hear in order to have the best chance of success.

John’s passion for helping organisations to succeed extends to a raft of positions with not-for-profit and community welfare organisations, particularly a number of independent schools, where he gives advice on financial management and planning.

Kathryn is the go-to finance guru for Australia’s peak industry bodies and creative agencies. An internationally experienced business and financial consultant, mentor, workshop facilitator and keynote speaker – Kathryn liaises closely with industry councils, is involved in benchmark studies, she is the creator of The Money Wheel® keynote and Show Me The Money® the only Marketing Communication specific financial training in Australia.

Working in the field National wide with a multitude of agencies, Kathryn sees how the industry is really performing, accumulating a volume of experiences which grow her skills, knowledge, competency, adding great value to her consultancy offering.

Kathryn is an articulate and vibrant speaker about the commercial side of agency finance, cumulating from her global experience in chartered accounting, marketing, and the communications sector – she is your financial soul mate®.

Rob Pyne is the Founder of Realizer, a training company that helps people gain powerful insights and realise their potential. Rob spent 17 years working in media agencies and media owners in the UK, China and Australia as a media buyer, client service lead, and strategist before setting up Realizer in 2013. Realizer specialises in training and coaching media organisations in topics including management, productivity and decision-making.

Sangeeta Leach is Co-Founder and Director of The Leach Partnership, a business consultancy focussed on building value into creative organisations. For the past 15 years they have advised agencies from start-ups to multinationals on all aspects of business planning, helping their clients build their revenues, their bottom lines and their organisations in a sustainable and long-term way, delivering value to their shareholders, clients and people. Both are graduates of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and advise on Management and board structures as well as M&A.

Sangeeta has a background in management consulting and strategic planning and has worked in India, Africa and Europe as well as Australia, where she was Planning Director of George Paterson Bates until 2001. Sangeeta has experienced agencies going through phenomenal growth and contributed as part of a management team, a Director and an owner, gaining invaluable experience, which she puts to great use helping agencies today, both here in Australia and internationally.

The Leach Partnership has worked with over 80 creative organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US.

William Leach is Co-Founder and Director of The Leach Partnership, a business consultancy focussed on building value into creative organisations. For the past 15 years they have advised agencies from start-ups to multinationals on all aspects of business planning, helping their clients build their revenues, their bottom lines and their organisations in a sustainable and long-term way, delivering value to their shareholders, clients and people. Both are graduates of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and advise on Management and board structures as well as M&A.

William gained his business experience as a CEO running agencies (for the most part Saatchi & Saatchi) in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Australia. He has a passion for business development in its broadest context – winning new business, developing existing relationships and growing agencies – which he has executed successfully on three continents.

The Leach partnership has worked with over 80 creative organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US.

New business is a science for Julia Vargiu, Founder & Principal of New Business Methodology. She has more than 20 years’ experience in helping hundreds of agencies across three continents to win millions of dollars in new business – without pitching. Julia is the creator of New Business Mastery for Agencies, instilling much-needed commercial rigour into agencies’ efforts to ensure they are match-fit to win new business. Her OUCH! Factor formula reveals to agencies how much revenue they need to make so their pitching and business development efforts are profitable. Julia is unique in her ability to coach agency CEOs to find their distinctive value and worth important to the client-side C-suite executives on their ideal prospect list. Mastery teaches agency CEOs how to turn a cold prospect into a new paying client in three meetings – without having to pitch. These CEOs join the growing list of elite agencies who know what ‘closing on your terms’ truly means.

A sought-after, engaging speaker on new business best practice and how to keep your pipeline full, Julia has been a speaker at Mumbrella / The Source New Biz Brekkie Series 2014, SAGE 2016, the PRIA RCG National Conference 2014 & 2016 and became an Industry Hero for The Miami Ad School, Australia in 2017. She is the brains behind CMO Confidential, 2015 Mumbrella360’s “most unusual session in the conference’s history” (source: Dr Mumbo), creating one of the ‘most innovative panels’ of 2015. Recently she hosted the Agency Best Practice roundtable discussion at the 2016 M360 conference and spoke on ‘The Art of New Business’ Panel at the Secrets of Agency Excellence – 2016 SAGE – masterclass.

Julia founded New Business Methodology in 1998, three years after relocating to Sydney with a background in marketing communications and advertising in New York, where she had spent eight years specialising in new business development. Julia has worked for the USA’s first and largest agency new business consultancy Lemont Consulting Group, New York’s premier public relations services company Bacon’s Information, and the national leader in executive search for the marketing communications industries Howard Sloan Koller. She was also a guest speaker at the Graduate Schools of Journalism in Columbia and New York Universities.

In Australia, she was the first Marketing Manager for four of Sydney’s top agencies, TMP Worldwide, Ammirati Puris Lintas, Foote Cone & Belding and OMD, creating these roles after having identified the unmet need in the market. This depth of knowledge, coupled with over twenty years of data, enables her to identify, score and improve an agency’s systems and effectiveness for generating profitable new clients.

She is the Founder of The Aussie Kids Photo Festival, an Australian first competition that awarded children between the ages of 3-12 years old the national Child Photographer of the Year and Youth Photographer of the Year. Julia is a native of San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, alumni of Aiglon Collége, Switzerland, danced regularly with RuPaul in Atlanta and, prior to moving to New York, ran away with the gypsies to become an actress. She toured nationally for three years, specialising in improvisational street theatre for themed Renaissance Festivals around North America. She’s been married for 20 years to a handsome Australian chef, has been told she has a rather endearing son with whom she travels the world, and has developed a taste for fois gras, excellent coffee, and high heels.

New business is a science for Julia Vargiu, Founder and Principal of New Business Methodology. She has more than 20 years’ experience advising hundreds of agencies across three continents to win millions of dollars in new business – without relying on pitching.

This depth of knowledge and years of data enable her to identify, score and improve an agency’s systems and effectiveness for generating profitable new clients. A sought-after speaker on new business best practice and how to keep your pipeline full, she is the creator of New Biz Mastery for Agencies, instilling much-needed commercial rigour into agencies’ efforts to ensure they are match-fit to win new business.

Julia is in demand as an executive coach of CEOs and leadership teams to help them embrace their distinctive value and worth, important to themselves and their C-suite executive colleagues and clients. She offers a coaching program brings together the sales, marketing and new business executives in an agency to work in concert, reducing their effort and improving their outcome.

Agency CEOs often engage Julia as a mentor to their business development directors, to help them grow in confidence and efficiency in their approach to winning more new business while reducing their reliance on pitching. Under Julia’s mentorship, agency growth directors are supported as they step through implementing a new business program that suits their agency’s unique situation and culture.

By request Julia has launched Stakeholder Mastery for Marketers, revealing the “Inner Game Inhibitors” within a marketing team, and how to better influence the motivations of their stakeholders. Julia founded New Business Methodology in 1998, after relocating to Sydney from Manhattan with a broad background in marketing communications and advertising.

She’s is a native of San Francisco’s Silicon Valley. Alumni of Aiglon Collége, Switzerland. Danced regularly with RuPaul in Atlanta and, prior to moving to New York, ran away with the gypsies to become an actress.

Samantha Tannous is an experienced journalist, marketing communications and public relations consultant, content creator and social media communicator. She has worked extensively across corporate communications, B2B and B2C clients and community consultation. She has sat on the volunteer Boards and Committees of several community publishing and arts organisations.

She started Relativity Communications in 2008 as a boutique public relations firm specialising in corporate and community clients. Since then, the firm has been engaged by a wide range of clients, including tech and media firms, advertising and marketing agencies, pet health and food products, property development, publishing companies, environmental services, retail, retirement and aged care, travel & tourism, finance and food service organisations.

Prior to founding Relativity, Samantha held senior positions in public relations firms including heading up the Sydney office of sparkimpact, a leading public relations firm in Melbourne and Sydney (part of the Mitchell Communication Group which is now part of Aegis Dentsu). At Mitchell Communications Group, Samantha held the role of corporate communications director as the company transitioned from a family-owned media agency to become a publicly listed diversified media and communication business.

Prior to entering PR, Samantha was a journalist across both business and consumer titles. Her role as Editor of AdNews saw her become the title’s first female editor, at aged 26 – a role she held for four years.

Samantha has held volunteer positions on the Board of SSO Media (publisher of Sydney Star Observer and other publications) and the national committee of ATASDA (The Australian Textile Arts and Surface Design Association).

She has a BA in English Literature and Philosophy, and a Graduate Diploma in Editing & Publishing.

Rob Pyne is the Founder of Realizer, a training company that helps people gain powerful insights and realise their potential. Rob spent 17 years working in media agencies and media owners in the UK, China and Australia as a media buyer, client service lead, and strategist before setting up Realizer in 2013. Realizer specialises in training and coaching media organisations in topics including management, productivity and decision-making.

Sangeeta Leach is Co-Founder and Director of The Leach Partnership, a business consultancy focussed on building value into creative organisations. For the past 15 years they have advised agencies from start-ups to multinationals on all aspects of business planning, helping their clients build their revenues, their bottom lines and their organisations in a sustainable and long-term way, delivering value to their shareholders, clients and people. Both are graduates of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and advise on Management and board structures as well as M&A.

Sangeeta has a background in management consulting and strategic planning and has worked in India, Africa and Europe as well as Australia, where she was Planning Director of George Paterson Bates until 2001. Sangeeta has experienced agencies going through phenomenal growth and contributed as part of a management team, a Director and an owner, gaining invaluable experience, which she puts to great use helping agencies today, both here in Australia and internationally.

The Leach Partnership has worked with over 80 creative organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US.

William Leach is Co-Founder and Director of The Leach Partnership, a business consultancy focussed on building value into creative organisations. For the past 15 years they have advised agencies from start-ups to multinationals on all aspects of business planning, helping their clients build their revenues, their bottom lines and their organisations in a sustainable and long-term way, delivering value to their shareholders, clients and people. Both are graduates of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and advise on Management and board structures as well as M&A.

William gained his business experience as a CEO running agencies (for the most part Saatchi & Saatchi) in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Australia. He has a passion for business development in its broadest context – winning new business, developing existing relationships and growing agencies – which he has executed successfully on three continents.

The Leach partnership has worked with over 80 creative organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US.

Michelle Pitt has trained hundreds of people in the media and marketing industry on how to do more great work and be more productive. She has extensive experience in media agency and media owner roles, before joining Realizer as a trainer and facilitator in 2015. Michelle’s focus is on helping individuals and teams understand where they create most value and helping them spend more time and energy on their “great work”.

Stephen Digby is a specialist lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience providing commercial, business and intellectual property advice.

In 2017, he formed DVM Law with Stephen von Muenster combining Stephen VM’s practice, which specialises in advertising, communications, technology and marketing law with his, which concentrates on media & entertainment, TV, film, leisure and the arts.

DVM Law concentrates on four main areas: Innovation, Creativity, Communication and Entertainment and works with creative businesses to identify, unlock, protect and generate value for their core assets – their ideas, creations and innovations and other intellectual property and commercial rights.

Prior to DVM Law, Stephen founded his own practice, Digby Law in 2004, and before this, he worked both in-house and in private practice in Sydney and London.

Stephen is a Partner at DVM Law, a specialist innovations, creativity, communications and entertainment firm based in Surry Hills, New South Wales.

Stephen has specialised in advertising, communications, marketing, promotions and media law since 1995. He has developed a keen interest in emerging technologies, media and the interactive and digital mediascape and in recent times has advised extensively upon disruptor technology platforms, social media, online reputation management, resonant content and the use of big data.

He has recently conducted an extensive review of the recently released AANA Master Media Planning & Buying Services Agreement and its impact upon media agencies and their advertiser clients.

Stephen also specialises in agency mergers & acquisitions and was legal counsel on a number of recent high profile independent agency acquisitions across the communications spectrum including Match Media, Mercer Bell and N2N / Herd Agency.

Stephen and the DVM Law team regularly advise the industry, brands, agencies and individuals in respect of all legal and commercial issues facing these diverse industries.

He is the legal adviser to The Communications Council, the Media Federation, the Public Relations Council and the Global Association for Marketing at Retail. He is a regular presenter for these industry bodies on matters of legal and regulatory compliance including recent industry presentations on Social Influencer Marketing, Social Media Law, the introduction of the new Privacy Laws and a Marketing Law industry update.

Stephen regularly presents at CommsCon, Mumbrella 360 and other Mumbrella events. He is a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney and UTS from time to time and is regularly asked for comment by the media and to judge industry awards.

Kathryn is the go-to finance guru for Australia’s peak industry bodies and creative agencies. An internationally experienced business and financial consultant, mentor, workshop facilitator and keynote speaker – Kathryn liaises closely with industry councils, is involved in benchmark studies, she is the creator of The Money Wheel® keynote and Show Me The Money® the only Marketing Communication specific financial training in Australia.

Working in the field National wide with a multitude of agencies, Kathryn sees how the industry is really performing, accumulating a volume of experiences which grow her skills, knowledge, competency, adding great value to her consultancy offering.

Kathryn is an articulate and vibrant speaker about the commercial side of agency finance, cumulating from her global experience in chartered accounting, marketing, and the communications sector – she is your financial soul mate®.