Nominees Category: Nominee 2023

Pass Her The Mic

We live in a world where only 3 in 10 speakers in a conference are women, with event organizers using the excuse ‘We tried, but we couldn’t find any women speakers.’

Pass Her The Mic is a never before seen program that addresses this issue head-on, by (1) assembling hundreds of women speakers across industries and markets in APAC, and (2) elevating their profiles through a publicly accessible database (fb.me/PHTM). It has removed the age-old excuses and has forced people to walk the talk on diversity.

In an unprecendented move, all six of the largest global advertising networks rallied behind this program, crossing company lines for the first time to support this one diversity initiative.

Pass Her The Mic’s impact is palpable, elevating the visibility of hundreds of women not just as speakers but as leaders.

Yasmin Sanders

In the last year, Samba TV Australia Managing Director Yasmin Sanders accelerated Samba TV’s growth as the preeminent video automatic content recognition (ACR) company in Australia, delivering triple-digit YoY growth and since launching a new product in market, have seen dramatic growth. Now, for the first time in Australia, brands, agencies, broadcasters and publishers can have access to privacy-first technology that delivers holistic media planning and buying for more effective omniscreen targeting and audience reach. As one of the first thought leaders for programmatic TV in Australia and current Chair of the IAB Australia’s Ad Effectiveness Council, Sanders’ has made a positive impact in the industry by introducing this new technology so that brands, agencies, broadcasters and publishers can better target and reach their audiences.

Fe Husaint

Fe Husaint is grit, gut, and grace in female form. Her Fe-nominal rise through the ranks is a testimony to her hardwork, talent, and leadership. From Greenpark employee no. 1 to Account Director (2018), Brand & Strategy Director (2019), Creative & Global Brand Head (2021), Deputy Managing Director (2022), and now the Managing Director (2023), the youngest and only Asian, female Group Managing Partner.

Fe’s objective is to continue growing the business by growing the team, client relationships and embracing innovation to improve efficiencies, value adds and launch new future-forward services to enhance, strengthen and differentiate Greenpark’s offer. Fe believes in creating a unique, diverse, and creative culture that embraces experts across APAC—regardless of gender or ethnicity. She believes in being a strategic partner to clients, who can offer innovative, creative solutions that are meaningful and impactful. Her vision is to produce high-performing content that’s cost efficient, agile and creative.

Tracy Quah

Tracy is a tenacious and driven marketer at Informatica with over 20 years of experience in tech. She believes in using integrated data across business applications to align marketing strategy with the buyer’s journey, for the main purpose of spurring business success.

To Tracy, inclusive leadership should include:
– Commitment to improve diversity and inclusion and treating all team members with fairness and respect.
– Courage to admit that you don’t have all the answers on what needs to change or how to change it.
– Awareness of bias as an individual and as an organisation and having an understanding of different kinds of personal biases and learning to self-regulate.
– Curiosity and openness to different ideas and perspectives to continuously learn and improve.
– Cultural intelligence and confidence to lead cross-cultural teams.
– Collaboration and building trust so everyone feels comfortable speaking up and empowering teams to handle difficult situations.

Aimee Buchanan

Aimee Buchanan is known as one of the most progressive and effective agency CEOs in Australia. 18 months ago she was tasked with transforming GroupM. Aimee has already had a transformative effect on business performance, – our people, relationships with clients, and importantly our sustainability agenda.

For leaders, one of the greatest challenges focusing on the future while being present in today. It’s a delicate balance, but critical when it comes to sustainability. Aimee’s journey started with the launch of ‘GroupM Alpha’, our sustainability strategy that engages our people, clients and media partners on leaving a legacy for the next era of advertising. It’s named Alpha after Generation Alpha – the current generation of kids, who will inherit the planet we create for them. Alpha represents our commitment to shaping the next era of media and leaving a better planet for the next generation – there’s no greater motivation.

Danielle Galipienzo

Danielle (Elle) is driven by an obsession for doing good in everything she does.

In the last year she has raised +$5.3M in pro bono media for an array of charities, won 19+ national and international awards and was named Ambassador for Good by UnLtd – an industry NFP focused on helping agencies and marketers not just preach ESG, but actively deliver on it.

Elle built an entire cultural ecosystem in ESG nationally across the office, developing a formalised micro board structure covering DE&I, Pride, Reconciliation, Sustainability, Impact and Care – leading Initiative Australia to win UnLtd’s Inaugural Agency for Good award. Alongside this she assumed the role of Head of Initiative Impact™, a bespoke division of our agency that solely focuses on doing good in our industry and society at large.

Elle’s passion for driving positive change for others pushes boundaries in ways that make a true and tangible difference.