ADMA forms new Advisory Committee to advance ethical marketing

ADMA has announced the formation of a new Advisory Committee comprised of senior marketing and business leaders from some of Australia's largest organisations.

The newly constituted committee features representatives from Optus, NAB, Woolworths, MECCA, Zip Co, Deloitte, and more. These members were selected for their expertise in areas critical to ADMA's future initiatives, such as growth strategy, digital transformation, customer engagement, data ethics, and performance marketing.

Committee membership

The Advisory Committee will play a central role in shaping ADMA's direction, aiming to advance responsible marketing practices, support industry innovation, and build the capabilities needed for future industry challenges. The committee is tasked with ensuring ADMA supports a marketing field that is customer-focused, data-driven and principled in ethical standards.

The committee's line-up includes David Morgan, Principal of MacMORGAN, as Chair; David Phillips, Partner at Deloitte Digital; Emma Jensen, Vice President, Small Business at Optus; Kate Blythe, Chief Marketing Officer at MECCA; Michael Laxton, Interim Chief Marketing Officer at Woolworths Group; Naomi Shepherd, Group Industry Director at Meta (sitting board member); Natalie Lockwood, Chief Marketing Officer at NAB; Paul Hewett, Chief Executive Officer at In Marketing We Trust; Peter Leonard, Principal and Director at Data Synergies; Sonny Sethi, Senior Director Marketing Research at Zip Co; Steve Brennen, Co-founder and CEO at Archie (Deputy Chair); and Tom Goodwin, Co-Founder at ALL WE HAVE IS NOW and the Advisory Committee's first international member.

Leadership perspectives

David Morgan, Chair of the Advisory Committee, outlined the motivations behind bringing together such a broad set of expertise. He emphasised the predictive role these members will play in ADMA's approach to future industry developments:

"We've assembled a group of forward-thinking industry pioneers that are experienced, diverse, and deeply connected to where the industry is heading, both locally and globally. Each member brings not only stature in their field, but also specialised capability across the whole marketing spectrum. Their insights will sharpen our thinking, challenge assumptions, and help ADMA as we empower marketers to navigate complexity, embrace opportunity, and lead responsibly."

The committee is composed of professionals with backgrounds in marketing leadership, digital strategy, business transformation, behavioural research, and data ethics. This mix is expected to provide a well-rounded perspective as ADMA shapes future policy and best practice for ethical and effective marketing.

Among the members, David Phillips leads Deloitte's CMO advisory practice, while Emma Jensen brings global experience in brand development and digital marketing from Optus. Kate Blythe, as CMO at MECCA, is credited with driving customer-centric marketing and global growth, and Michael Laxton at Woolworths Group is known for integrating strategy and technology to address business challenges. Natalie Lockwood, CMO at NAB, has held senior roles in the financial services and payments sector across the Asia Pacific, and Paul Hewett leads data-driven marketing at In Marketing We Trust. Peter Leonard specialises in data and technology law, advising on AI and data governance. Sonny Sethi, from Zip Co, is involved in AI policy development. Tom Goodwin, the committee's international member, is recognised for his leadership in creative and marketing thought globally.

Organisational focus

Andrea Martens, ADMA Chief Executive Officer, commented on the significance of the new appointments:

"We're thrilled to welcome such a high-calibre group of industry leaders who each bring deep domain expertise, sharp commercial insight and a bold vision to drive the marketing industry forward. As the pace of change accelerates and complexity grows, having a strong advisory board to steer and guide ADMA through this evolving landscape is more important than ever. ADMA's role to reimagine and enable the future of ethical, data-led marketing is critical, and this committee brings the foresight and creativity to make it happen."

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing committee members, several of whom have served extended terms. Their energy, expertise and unwavering support have helped position ADMA as the trusted voice of modern marketing. We're pleased they will remain actively involved with ADMA in various capacities in our next chapter."

The new Advisory Committee members will serve initial terms of three years. Their remit includes supporting ADMA's ongoing development of standards for marketing best practices, as well as contributing to capability building and ethical policy-making in the sector.

According to ADMA, this formation reflects an increased commitment to supporting marketers as they face a rapidly evolving industry landscape that prioritises customer experience, digital transformation and ethical data usage.

ADMA confirmed that several former committee members who have completed their extended terms will continue to be involved in various roles.