An occasional column. Simon Hadfield In Conversation.
This time it is Lisa Ronson ex CMO of Tourism Australia and Coles, AANA Board Member, Wheelchair Rugby Australia Board member, BWX Ltd Board Member. Australian Marketing Institute Mentoring Program Patron and Adjunct Professor at Deakin Business School.
You’ve been out of Coles for circa 6 months now, is it nice to come up for air?
It is really nice to come up for air, I really needed it. I’ve had several really big jobs on the hop – TA, DJs, Telstra, Visa and Coles during Covid! Up until now, the longest break I’ve taken was 12 weeks maternity leave almost 21 years ago now. I do not recommend taking only 12 weeks mat leave, by the way! After we moved to Melbourne four years ago for Coles, we bought a farm up near Daylesford so it’s been a big desire of mine to spend more time up here. It’s just a beautiful area in a wonderful community of creative and interesting people.
Is there another big role on the horizon or are you content with Board and Education roles? Good question….and one I get asked a lot. When I left Coles, I had a very clear view on how I wanted to spend my time but having the benefit of gardening leave (where I have been gardening!) my criteria for what I do next is simply working with great people in a brand that interests me and that I can add value to. So, watch this space. In saying that, I love my Board and education roles, I love the diversity.
Do you have any observations on the advertising / marketing industry? Well, just a few! Overall, it’s a great industry that I feel very fortunate to work within and give back to in small ways. I think it’s full of curious, interesting people that are fantastic to collaborate with. I think we need to be a lot better at having the business growth discussion. Marketing and advertising are a key driver in driving strong commercial outcomes. We need to be talking about these outcomes – the outputs - not just the work itself. We sell ourselves short because we talk too much about the work and not enough about the solid and demonstrable business outcomes. Oh, I also think clients get the work they deserve. You can’t contract your way into a good partnership.
Any work you’ve seen recently that you admire?
The “Preserve Tuvalu” work by the Monkeys is confronting and very, very powerful. I’ve also long admired the work BMF do for Aldi. Its quirky, interesting, on brand for Aldi. DDBs work for Maccas is consistently solid. Oh and I also love the work that Thinkerbell have done for Vegemite, it’s really stepped the brand on. Whilst I haven’t seen the numbers, I know all of them are driving solid commercial outcomes.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Trust your gut and back yourself.
Outside of business, what keeps you out of trouble?
My family – my husband, Chris and our son, Ben and my large extended family. Also, I love to cook. My ideal day is cooking on my AGA oven up at the farm and having friends come for dinner and stay for the weekend. We’ve had so many family and friends up which has been awesome. Anyone that follows me on Instagram knows that also up there is our animals – our cat, two dogs, four alpacas, two lambs we rescued and bottle-fed last winter and our most recent family members “the girls” - our five Suffolk ewes. They are all spoiled, and the cat totally runs the place!
What have you learnt in the last 5 years?
Jeez, Simon how long have you got?! The importance of family and close friends. Being kind, being a decent person, treating others with respect. My no dickheads policy endures. In a professional sense, the importance of being brave when you know the work and business outcomes are good. The beauty and power in working with interesting, creative, smart and funny people that push you, challenge you and make you better.
What are you driving, what are you listening to and what are you watching?
I love my Volvo XC60. I spend a lot of time driving between the farm and Melbourne so driving and listening to podcasts is a chunk of my time. My best mate, Geoff put me on to “Smartless” last year. I think I’ve listened to every episode. It makes me cry laughing. There is such an authenticity to it which I love. I also like “Great British Scandals” and “Business Wars”. Watching, Ted Lasso and Morning Show/Wars. I’m a believer in “there are two types of people in the world – those that love Ted Lasso and those that haven’t seen it yet”. It is quite honestly one of the best demonstrations of true and genuine leadership I’ve ever seen.
Where is your next holiday?
We have a Great walk of Australia booked on Maria Island in Tassie at the end of April and then Europe in June. We are spending a week with our son and then he’s going travelling with his mates. I can’t wait for both!
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