Verizon Media Academy Class of 2020: the industry’s brightest stars revealed
Verizon Media has today announced the 40 successful nominees who make up this year’s Verizon Media Academy Class of 2020.
The Class of 2020 was chosen by our judges from a pool of more than 200 nominations submitted from senior leaders in brands, advertising and media agencies across Australia and New Zealand.
This year’s class features a range of future leaders from across the media, marketing and advertising spectrum including Cadreon, Kaimera, MediaCom, PHD, Woolworths and Zenith amongst others. Representing four markets across Australia and New Zealand, the delegates will be flown to Sydney for the event.
The Class of 2020 will gather on March 25 and 26 in Sydney to attend the two day educational program which is jam-packed with expert advice to help delegates ‘Build Brand You’ and assist their professional development. Attendees will hear from a range of world-class speakers in sessions curated to teach creative brainstorming techniques, nurture personal wellbeing and offer handy tips to navigate their careers.
The top 40 were selected based on their exemplary passion, ability to go above-and-beyond, active involvement in the industry, and displays of leadership.
Says Megan Kay, managing director at Zenith Melbourne who successfully nominated Tyler Owen, senior digital executive for the program, commented on the process: “Zenith is very excited and proud to be involved in this year’s Verizon Media Academy. As part of our company’s commitment to investing and nurturing our future leaders, we support opportunities that will help them in their personal and professional development.
“The Verizon Media Academy is a great way for us as senior leaders to recognise and reward our hard-working stars in not only an inspirational, but also interactive, practical way. I’m proud to support Tyler Owen through the process and excited to see what she learns from the experience.”
Says Paul Sigaloff, managing director of Verizon Media ANZ: “I’m very proud to announce this year’s Verizon Media Academy Class of 2020. It was a difficult decision to narrow down just 40 participants, but these talented individuals have proven they are truly future leaders.
“Verizon Media takes our responsibility to foster the development of our industry’s talent very seriously which is why we’re so heavily invested in maintaining such a high standard for the Academy. We have an incredible program lined up this year and can’t wait to see the Class of 2020 in action.”
The Class of 2020:
Andrea Potter – PHD
Ankita Mehta – Starcom
Annett Schultz – Performics
Annie Bramwell – MBM
Billy Choi – Havas Media
Brittany Auchterlonie – Mad Mex
Brittany Wrightson – MediaCom
Carmen Vienings – Pearman Media
Caroline Seow – Ikon Communications
Christina Diomides – The Media Store
Claudia Domingues – MediaCom
Conor Riordan – Kaimera
Eliot Thompson – Half Dome Digital
Ella Stewart – Wavemaker
Erin Shaffrey – Mindshare
Georgina Debenham – PHD
Harry Ingham – UM
Hayden Simons – Starcom
Heloise Parlett – iProspect
Jarrod Macfarlane – Initiative
Jason Cole – OMD
Jayden Harris – Media Lab
Jennie Gilbert – OMD
Jessica Ferguson – Resolution Media
Josh McDonnell – Mi3
Karl Cheung – Zenith
Kate Hoare – Mediacom
Kate Hopkinson – MediaCom
Kevin van Wyk – Rocket
Kirsty Jury – Vodafone NZ
Loreli De Jesus – Qantas Trade Desk
Lydia Sutton – Starcom
Peter Madani – Cadreon
Rob Christian – Carat
Rob Ebach – Wavemaker
Sasha Phillips – CHE Proximity
Senna Spear – Spark Foundry
Surya Shenbagamurthy – Woolworths Group
Teddy Lewis – Ikon
Tyler Owen – Zenith
