Nominees Category: People Categories

OMD is Australia’s largest media agency, both in billings and staff numbers. At the head of our agency, is our CEO, Aimee Buchanan. Aimee has over 19 years industry experience and is currently responsible for 600+ staff and 12 direct reports across Australia. As a leader of change, Aimee strives create a company where people can be the best they can be and deliver unparalleled work for our clients.

In this entry, we will identify how Aimee has continued to maintain cultural leadership, lift and evolve OMD’s product offering and drive sustainable growth for the company. We will also illustrate her recent achievements, and how her ability to foster strong and sustainable relationships has allowed OMD to be re-positioned as true strategic partners. We also touch on Aimee’s sphere of influence and her ongoing ambition to impact the industry from the inside out by setting a standard of excellence.

When Christine Gokiao-Ching became Head of People vertical for Wavemaker Philippines, it was bracing for the Wavemaker Tri-Merger, a huge strain on people relations and emotions. Christine’s strategy was a one-one-one approach towards One Team One Brand. First, she identified talents and created customized paths. Then she initiated a work-life balance mentoring method. She also rolled out a self-discovery and a change management program in the last quarter of 2017 in preparation for the launch of the Wavemaker brand in January 2018. This included a massive team-building activity was held where all 150 employees of Wavemaker who participated to imbibe the company’s vision of Passion, Agility, Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, and Diversity (PACED). She championed leaving safety zones through the Wavemaker LIFE-STAGE Career Exploration. Behind all these efforts was the one-one-one trust Christine built, paying off with a 95% retention rate since the merger in 2018, an unparalleled feat.