Our Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
Amanda Wheeler: chief client partner at Leo Burnett Australia
Time in current role/time at the company:
Nearly three years.
How would you describe what the company does?
Our core belief is 'What helps people, helps business'. And we do that by putting creativity that drives growth at the heart of everything we do.
What do you do day to day?
Problem solving - which starts with making sure we’re solving the right problems for our clients, and then comes a wave of problems, questions, and challenges to navigate every day. As a leader in the business, these can pop up anywhere along the chain: strategy, creative, production, growth, people, resources, and budgets…
Define your job in one word:
See above - problem solver.
I got into my industry because:
I was ready for a career change. I started my career as a journalist and then moved into public relations (primarily for some great automotive brands). But I was hungry for a fresh challenge, and an opportunity came up to join Publicis Mojo as a strategist on Toyota, and I jumped at it. Joining agency life mid-career had its challenges, but I instantly loved it all.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Today, it is finding the balance between driving growth for your client and driving growth for your agency – the sweet spot is when everybody wins.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
For me as a woman in her 50s, I would like to see more older women stay in the industry. We are losing our experience and expertise in favour of youth and a false narrative that advertising is a young person’s game and that with age, you somehow suddenly lack relevance. Experience gives you confidence and efficiency as a leader, and building on your knowledge is part of life – you never stop learning. So, my ambition is to one day go to a retirement party in advertising for a woman who is in account management, creative or strategy. Hopefully, it will be mine.
Notable campaigns/initiatives:
I’ve loved the work we have done for Suncorp Insurance over the last three years, from One House to Resilience Road and, more recently 'If you’re home could talk'. These campaigns encourage Australians to make their homes more resilient and put them in a stronger position to bounce back after a major event - they have been game-changing. It is driven by purpose but talks to both Suncorp Insurance and the homeowner – it’s tangible to both and has created conversations beyond the category and helped establish Suncorp Insurance as a leader in the space.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
To be honest, it’s something I’ve never found, but I’ve taken great lessons from some great leaders I’ve worked with, and hopefully, I am becoming that mentor to others.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Build your resilience, constantly have a student mindset and really understand what drives business for your agency and your clients.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
I’d be living on a farm somewhere. Whether I could make a living out of it is another thing.
My philosophy is:
Dream big, you can always dial it back.
My favourite advert is:
Honda ‘Cog’ - it first came out when I joined advertising, and given that I was making car ads, it showed to me what creativity could look like and feel like. It made me hunger for big ideas.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
The Sydney Morning Herald – you still need to know what’s happening in the world, and I find it a comforting, consistent and reliable source in a world driven by algorithms. Plus, I love the crossword.
In five years time, I'll be:
Still doing what I love to do.
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