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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.
Kate Lippett: chief client officer at Zenith
Time in current role:
One year.
How would you describe what your company does?
We support Subway with expertise over the total communications touchpoints. Zenith is a media powerhouse, and Publicis Worldwide the creative force behind it all.
What do I do day to day?
This role works under a Publicis Groupe Power of One model, meaning I have the dual responsibility of media and creative delivery for Subway. With an incredibly talented team bringing the campaigns to life each day, my role looks at the medium to long-term priorities and opportunities for Subway. My job is to be of service to the team and the client – to remove roadblocks for them, so they can do their jobs properly. It’s a lot of stakeholder management and connecting the right people to the right area of work. I am also passionate about making Zenith a good place to work, so working with the leadership team to make that happen is a key part of the role also.
Define your job in one word:
Dynamic.
I got into my industry because?
I was lured by the opportunity to get free Madonna tickets like an old boss’ friend who was a media planner in NYC! And once I was in, I was hooked!
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
Parental leave – making it easier for working parents to stick with a career in advertising, especially the new ones. The industry loses so many good folks after they have kids because of the intensity and expectation that’s placed on being the best employee and parent at the same time.
Previous companies:
Ikon (now EssenceMediacom) and Starcom.
Notable campaigns/initiatives:
Subboat 2021 – Who doesn’t want to see a massive floating Subway sub on iconic lakes and rivers across ANZ?
Fresh Fame – Reversing the upfronts season and having Subway provide an upfront for our media partners, which included a brief to bring Fame for Subway. This was a first for Brisbane.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
Adam Hickey and Lesley Edwards. Two superstars of the industry who know me well, and so know when to push me beyond my comfort zone. They both have my best interests at heart and lead with empathy and integrity, two important values of mine.
Words of advice:
Find a mentor – I read somewhere that all successful people have a mentor, a psychologist and a coach. Sleep, exercise and gut health are the holy trinity of happiness. All three lead to good mental health, which is everything. Never stop being curious. Lighten up!
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I’d be:
Travelling around Australia in a caravan with my family, using property developing to fund it all.
My philosophy is:
If it’s to be, it’s up to me.
My favourite advert is:
Nike ‘Dream Crazier’. It got me teary, and I immediately sent it to my 12-year-old daughter to remind her to stay ‘crazy’. My daughters won’t be scared of acting ‘crazy’, and my son will be surrounded by and embrace the ‘crazy’ girls.
Subscriptions: ALL the SVOD’s, Audible, Spotify. I am super curious about personal development and bio-hacking, so I over-subscribe to content from anyone that is smart in this space.
In five years’ time I'll be: Surrounded by people smarter than me, learning new things and making stuff happen!
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