D+T COLLECTIVE - Key Persons
After more than ten years directing television, TVCs, documentaries and brand marketing comms, Angus made the shift into digital; launching Southern Cross Austereo's digital video strategy, before establishing Nova Entertainment's websites as the fastest growing entertainment sites in Australia.
He's worked with a range of artists and clients including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, U2 & Coldplay, Optus, SBS, Google and Qantas. With the explosion of VR and 360° video, he was approached by Start VR, Australia's leading dedicated VR studio, to be Managing Director. Within this role he oversees a business that specialises in interactive cinematic VR. Start VR produce creative, commercially-driven Virtual Reality experiences; to deliver strong connections with audiences, brands and consumers alike; driving engagement, growth, and new revenue streams.
Job Titles:
- Head of Digital Experience / Disney
- Head of Digital Experience for the Walt Disney Company Australia
Anna Pearce is the Head of Digital Experience for The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand, responsible for consumer-centric experiences across Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars brands.
Anna leads a team of creative technologists across Melbourne and Sydney that manage Disney's web, social media and app presence, developing meaningful interactive moments for next-generation audiences.
Prior to joining Disney in 2013, Anna has held various digital roles, in Australia and the UK, including Digital Strategist for Clemenger BBDO, Head of Interactive for Hooroo (part of Qantas Group), Director of User Experience for DigitasLBi and Director of Web for the Hilton Hotel Group.
Anna's digital journey began with an Internet start-up in 1994, including the role of Online Producer for the ARIAs and Australia's first broadband webcast, Telstra's "Concert of the Century" hosted at the MCG.
Job Titles:
- Head of Creative Technology
Bob has had over 15 years experience in start ups and technology companies. Since joining Clemenger BBDO he has worked on campaigns such as the Dolmio Pepper Hacker, V Energy's "Wasteland with a V" and the Tourism Australia Aquatic & Coastal campaign and it's immersive 360° video experiences.
He is a strong believer that when technology and digital platforms are combined with great ideas magic can happen. As Head of Creative Technology at Clemenger BBDO Sydney Bob works to ensure the agency stays on the bleeding edge of the creative opportunities technology presents.
A digital native, Brad has been the driving force behind globally award-winning campaigns for the likes of Orange, EE, UNICEF and British Airways. He joined 303 MullenLowe in 2014 from leading UK digital agency POKE and now continues to deliver influential projects for brands such as Netflix, EBAY and Harley-Davidson, in addition to leading product and service design innovations for businesses like Audi and NSW Government.
Brad is well known for his involvement in entrepreneurial business and technology, working closely with the tech community, as well as big business, having helped launch The Drugstore (an innovation facility in the heart of London's Shoreditch) which aims to connect big business with start-ups.
Brad also judges a host of local and international awards shows and sits on the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Cat (@catprestipino) is a marketer passionate about helping build brands. With love for technology, Cat has spent the better part of a decade working in the digital start-up environment helping launch into new regions, building international marketing teams and educating marketers on how to make real business impact.
Job Titles:
- Manager Digital Customer Experience / Qantas
Dan is passionate about the intersection of commerce and design and the role emotion and context play in building winning digital experiences.
Dan leads the Qantas digital direct channel strategy, including shaping and executing the vision for qantas.com and the Qantas app. Currently undergoing an end-to-end transformation, qantas.com is Qantas' key booking channel, taking over a third of the airline's bookings.
Previously Dan was Multimedia Executive Producer and Deputy Network Editor at News Corp Australia, leading the network's interactive storytelling through major news events including the 2011 Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi, Japan tsunami and Christchurch earthquakes.
From 2001 to 2010, Dan worked at Telstra in various roles, including designing BigPond's Online Customer Service strategy, which brought incremental annual savings of over $2 million, and in the BigPond Movies leadership team.
Dan Ross - Managing Director
Dan Ross is a Silicon Valley veteran and has led various Go-to-Market teams at four high-growth tech companies. An Aussie by birth (in spite of his American accent), he's returned home to grow Optimizely's Asia-Pacific presence as Managing Director. In his spare time, Dan can be found attempting random hobbies like mountain biking, flying planes, triathlons, and exploring the outdoors with his wife and dogs.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts
David is a Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) and a recognised industry representative for emerging technology, mobility and experiences, contributing to various publications and speaker events, and judging industry awards including The AMYs and The Webbys. Outside of his professional life, David is a maker, an active explorer and an artist in music, photography and moving image.
Job Titles:
- Executive Technical Director / Holler
Job Titles:
- Digital Creative Director / Geronimo
- Digital Creative Specialist
- Industry Leader
Joe is a digital creative specialist with 18 years of industry experience and a passion for creativity and design aesthetics. He has worked in the UK, USA, Asia, and Australia and clients include CommBank, Citibank, Optus, Telstra and Virgin. Joe's curious nature urges him to understand the technology, the business goals and the user needs before he embarks on the design process.
"I'm the Founder & Digital Creative Director of DMG and since the birth of DMG in 2014, I've had the privilege of seeing my agency evolve from a one-man show to a fully-fledged agency of Digital Creative & Experience specialists with the key aim to create highly immersive and engaging design solutions."
His team is composed of a diverse range of unique digital specialists under the visionary leadership of Joe Purves. Ranking in the top 5 of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards, they have assembled a team of passionate digital professionals. The team have a diverse range of skills, interests, experiences and backgrounds and thrive on challenging projects and finding solutions; striving for innovation at every opportunity. They live by their motto, "Design with Purpose". This means defining and refining the strategy, so the digital projects achieves business goals and adds value to the user's life.
"Initially, my role at DMG was primarily focused on the entrepreneurial aspect of DMG as a Start-up and delivering quality output as a hands-on Digital Designer. As the company evolved, I started investing in people and growing a team. My role then transitioned into that of a Digital Creative Director & Digital Creative Strategist, where I started bringing our ‘Design with Purpose' principles to all digital projects that I was invited to work on."
Awarded as the Winner of the 2017-2018 AMY Awards for "Digital Person of the Year", Joe is an industry leader in inspiring creativity and passion. Beyond the more artistic and creative flare of his role, his responsibilities include making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources of the company, acting as the main point of communication between the advisory board and being the central part of the company's growth and innovation strategy. Joe's life as an entrepreneur is now a reality.
"The entrepreneurial seed was planted when I started working for Virgin in London and I had the honour of meeting Sir Richard Branson on three separate occasions. From attaining inspiration from Branson himself, who said "if you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose" and "jump-in", I was driven to initiate a Start-up. I knew from that very moment, that I would be an entrepreneur. With the challenges endured and the risks involved, DMG has without a doubt been my greatest achievement of my professional career. By far the biggest transaction of my career was recent acquisition of DMG by Geronimo. The exciting thing about this acquisition is that my Design team is still in place and I'm the Executive Creative Director of the company. My goals are to continue to be an entrepreneur and grow Geronimo, continue to be part of creative and innovative digital projects and to continue to grow and mentor my team of passionate design specialists."
The digital sphere is accelerating in its growth and with the highly competitive market, staying in trend with new digital advancements is crucial for a creative digital leader. To stay aware and updated of any changes is inevitably an essential quality that must be adopted and implemented into digital business strategies. Responding innovatively and staying ahead of the constantly changing nature of the digital environment is a challenge that Joe, as a business leader has endured and conquered. This was evident is some of the latest projects that he won during the pitch stages after being up against some of Sydney's largest and most successful digital creative agencies.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director, Consultant and Governor / the Heart Research Institute
John Batistich has 25 years of cross sector experience across Research, Marketing, Digital and General Management with blue chip companies like Westfield Group, Interbrand, Wrigley Company, PepsiCo Foods, Kimberly Clark and Lion Nathan. Currently, he is an Advisor to ZipCo, Non-Executive Director for Foodco and Governor of the Heart Research Institute. He holds a Masters in Management degree from MGSM majoring in Human Resources, a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Western Sydney majoring in Marketing, a Certificate in Digital Marketing from ADMA and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has led marketing communications that have won a Cannes Lion award and an Australian Advertising Effectiveness Awards and was rated by CMO Magazine in 2015 as one of the top two CMO's in Australia.
Job Titles:
- CRO
- Head of Solutions
- Solution Expert
Michaela Aguilar is a solution expert with over 25 years of industry experience in marketing technology and digital. Michaela is highly regarded for her lateral thinking and practical people based approach to problem solving.
As a thought leader Customer Experience Optimisation [CXO], Michaela is teaching CRO courses on behalf of ADMA. She is the founder of CRO PROS, a regular meetup and network group for digital marketers. She says, "It is important to advance the digital industry through ongoing learning and sharing of knowledge and experiences." She is also a pro bono contributor to the Women in Data meetup community.
Michaela held senior roles at organisations like Nielsen and Nielsen NetRatings, Thoughtworks, Hothouse and Catchi. She is currently Head of Solutions at Havas Media.
Why diversity is an important her, she says "Working as a woman in technology I had to learn how to be successful in a male-dominated industry. I was also a single mother with no family support in Australia but I was determined to make it work for me, my children and the companies I worked for. Yes, it is hard but it is do-able if you believe in your abilities."
Steve started out his career as a professional sportsman who could code. He built his first app when he was 19, a payroll programme he sold to the bar that he worked for. He has been part of Australiaʼs digital industry for over 20 years and started his digital agency, MassMedia Studios, in 2000.
Taryn Williams is one of Australia's most prolific entrepreneurs in the tech startup and media industry.
She is the Founder & CEO of influencer and talent platform, TheRight.Fit, now used by major advertising agencies and brands to find the best and brightest talent for their jobs. Her first business, WINK Models, celebrates ten years in business in 2017, representing over 650
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director of Marketo ANZ
Will Griffith is a change-maker with over 20 years' experience shaping teams within the marketing and advertising technology sphere. Will is well-known for his strategic mind and inclusive approach to leadership.
As managing director of Marketo ANZ, Will is making diversity a priority for the business, as well as the industry, "Diversity drives innovation and workplace culture. In order for us all to succeed we need to proactively make sure our workplaces are more inclusive and that diverse voices are given equal airtime. Companies with diverse voices have greater depth and originality in their cultural values, and a stronger more balanced mindset in their employees."
Will has spent many years in senior leadership roles in the UK and Australia with RedEye, smartFocus, Eloqua, Oracle Marketing Cloud, and now Marketo where he continues to champion inclusiveness.
Why is diversity important to Will? He says "My wife and I somehow managed to create a balanced household by having two boys and two girls (the power struggle is real!). Having grown up in an all-boy household myself (my poor mum!), every day I'm reminded how beautifully different they all are to each other despite having the same parents, and how wonderfully lucky we are to be able to embrace all those differences as one family. As my children grow up, I'm more and more aware of how they could be shaped by some of the unconscious (and conscious) bias and 'exclusive' attitudes I have seen in some businesses. I want my kids to be afforded an equal opportunity to succeed and be happy in whatever future they choose."