Executive judges and international judge announced for the 2022 Aotearoa Effie Awards

The 2022 Aotearoa Effie Awards in association with TVNZ are nearing closer. With both preliminary and category judging now completed, now comes the time for the all-important executive judging round. Bringing together some of the greatest marketers from across the motu and an international marketer from across the ditch, the executive judging session is set to be held on Tuesday the 11^{th of} October.

This years executive judging panel is comprised of Allison Yorston (Frucor Suntory), Amy Phillips (BNZ), Jodi Williams (TAB NZ), Jonathan Symons (TVNZ), Michael Healy (Meridian), and joining them this year from Sydney, Yash Gandhi (Baiada). Read a little more about this years panel below.

Amy Phillips is the general manager of marketing and design for the Bank of New Zealand. An entrepreneurial strategic thinker, Phillips applies her marketing know-how to create value for customers and value for brands. Her understanding of the creative process and design thinking, coupled with her years as a senior people leader and trusted adviser at board and CEO level in both the companies she’s worked in and those she has advised client side means she drives ideas FOR results. Phillips is a passionate advocate for the skills of marketers to make an idea better, a strategy clearer, an organisation sharper and the next horizon closer.

Allison Yorston is the chief marketing officer and leads the marketing team with a Gemba centric approach; encouraging her team to embrace we strategic platforms that drive relevance with our consumers and moves our business forward with agility. Yorston recently led the energy and transformation portfolio to new heights, reigniting consumer love for V Energy with a renewed focus on bringing the back into the brand with the return of the V Energy ‘Bugs’, from one of Australia and New Zealand’s most loved ad campaigns, to launch V Refresh.

She has also been instrumental in the growth of our own Suntory BOSS coffee, which is now firmly established as the most popular ready to drink coffee beverage across Australia and New Zealand. Yorston has a strong history within the FMCG industry, having worked with many blue-chip companies, including Unilever, Arnott’s, Fonterra and Sanitarium.

Jodi Williams is a highly regarded leader and accomplished marketer with proven ability to deliver strong commercial results through her strategic skills fused with innovative and creative thinking.  Williams is currently CMCO of TAB NZ, prior to that consulted with Kiwibank on its recent new brand refresh.  Prior to that Williams had a long and rewarding career at Air New Zealand where her last role was GM global brand and content marketing where she was instrumental in leading one of the most admired brands in New Zealand and across the globe.

Jonathan Symons has been at TVNZ for 8 years in insights and marketing roles and as marketing director for 4 years. Prior to joining TVNZ he worked across media, marketing and banking roles. Symons has taken part in executive judging several times over the past 8 years.

Michael Healy comes with over twenty years of marketing experience across network agencies and big clients, as well as being is one of New Zealand’s most awarded and effective commercial marketers.  With a laser sharp focus on effectiveness, over the last four years as chief marketing officer at Meridian he has led the marketing operation and multi-brand strategy through a period of near unprecedented growth in connections – over 130% – across the Meridian and Powershop brands through science-based and unforgettable marketing. Healy has held accountability for every marketing discipline from media to sponsorship, to data driven marketing and martech.  He combines that broad senior experience with a fierce commercial and numbers focus to deliver results for business – or in an Effies context to smell questionable maths to justify a case or spot a post-rationalised set of objectives from 100 paces.

Yash Gandhi is the head of marketing at one of Australia’s leading companies in the primary industries: Baiada Group, who own the iconic Steggles and Lilydale Free Range brands. As a commercial marketer, he has led a new business venture for the group in the emerging plant-based category under the brand: Greens & Goodness. Ranked #12 in CMO50, he is passionate about using creativity to drive growth and ensures it remains at the heart of their marketing success. He has won several marketing effectiveness and creative awards for the brands he leads and has helped drive year-on-year growth for the business. Gandhi also has over 14 years’ experience in the advertising industry, including over a decade at international advertising agency M&C Saatchi.

To find out more about the 2022 Aotearoa Effie Awards and to read the finalist list head to www.commscouncil.nz