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What a Night! Celebrating the Best in Marketing at the 2025 Awards
What do you get when you bring together some of the sharpest marketing minds, inspiring stories, and a room full of good vibes?
The 2025 New Chapter Talent Marketing Excellence & Rising Star Awards, of course — and what a night it was!
Held at a completely sold-out venue, the awards evening last night was a celebration of talent, tenacity, and the transformative power of marketing. From the energy in the room to the meaningful conversations on stage and the generosity shown towards an incredible cause, it’s safe to say this one will be hard to top.
The Winners
This year’s submissions were nothing short of outstanding, and the judges had their work cut out for them. After hours of deliberation (and maybe a few strong coffees), two standout marketers emerged as this year’s winners:
Marketing Excellence Award
Winner:
Georgia Pedersen, Head of Marketing at Melbourne Park
Georgia’s leadership, strategic brilliance, and impact across the sports and entertainment industry made her the clear choice for this year’s top honour. From record-breaking campaign results to uplifting her team and broader industry peers — Georgia is the definition of marketing excellence.
Runner-up:
Matt Farnham, Marketing Manager at MOVE Bank
Matt’s innovative, resourceful approach with a lean team is changing the game in financial services marketing. His campaigns deliver big results on modest budgets — and his leadership is leaving a lasting legacy.
Nature's Symphony
Faces of Humanity
Marketing Rising Star Award
Winner:
Helen Cham, Digital & Web Manager at EY
Helen is shaping the future of digital marketing at a global level. Her work in digital transformation, AI readiness, and web strategy is not only commercially impactful — it’s inspiringly forward-thinking. A true rising star (who’s already shining bright).
Runner-up:
Simone Lam, Marketing Campaign Advisor at Melbourne Park
Simone’s thoughtful leadership, campaign frameworks and strategic thinking have already made waves — just seven months into her current role! A rising force with empathy, insight and creativity in equal measure.
A Night to Remember
One of the highlights of the evening? The insightful and refreshingly honest Q&A session with Lucy and Jac Phillips, who shared stories from their journeys in recruitment and marketing — and had the crowd both laughing and scribbling notes at lightning speed.
It was also amazing to see so many familiar (and new!) faces out in full force — the room was buzzing from start to finish, and every seat was filled.
Giving Back
Beyond the glitz, the awards night also gave us a chance to give back. Together, we raised a substantial amount for Safe Steps, a Victorian family violence response centre and a charity close to our hearts.
Thank you to everyone who donated — your support will go a long way in helping women and children in crisis.
A Huge Thank You to Our Judges
Our heartfelt thanks go to the incredible panel of judges who generously gave their time, insight, and industry expertise to assess this year’s nominations. You brought rigour, fairness and heart to the process — and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Jac Phillips – Executive Coach, senior marketing executive, and host of Keeping It Real. With 25+ years of experience across banking, tech, and FMCG, Jac is a bold leader and passionate advocate for marketing and leadership excellence.
Jo Rao – General Manager – Marketing at Wink and AMI VIC Committee Member. A strategic powerhouse with experience across sport, FMCG, entertainment, and retail, Jo is a passionate mentor and certified practising marketer.
Kate Coleridge – Deputy Chair, AMI VIC and founder of Coleridge Creative. A consultant and mentor with 18+ years' experience, Kate brings clarity, strategic direction and creativity to every challenge she takes on.
Shira Friedman – Digital marketer and AMI VIC Committee Member. With a background in journalism and deep expertise in digital storytelling, Shira brings analytical sharpness and creativity to her marketing approach.
And our Luce – Founder of New Chapter Talent and host of CMO Chapters. With a bird’s-eye view of marketing talent across ANZ, Lucy brings insight into what exceptional marketing looks like — and how to spot it.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
A huge thank you to our incredible supporters and sponsors, whose generosity made the awards prizes possible and added an extra layer of excitement to the evening. Your support helps us celebrate excellence in marketing and recognise the people doing amazing things behind the scenes.
We’re beyond grateful.
Winners of each award have received an incredible prize pack designed to celebrate their success and invest in their future:
- Executive coaching sessions with leadership expert Jac Phillips, valued at $1300 per person
- 2-night luxury stay at the InterContinental Sorrento, sponsored by New Chapter Talent and InterContinental Sorrento, valued at $1000 each!
- Breakfast included
- Wine on arrival
- Spa voucher included
And for our runners-up in each category:
- A sparkling smile thanks to an in-chair whitening treatment from Urban Smile, valued at $480 each!
Until Next Year…
A massive congratulations again to all the finalists, winners, and runners-up. Your work is inspiring and your impact is real. We’re so proud to be part of a community that lifts each other up and celebrates the people behind the campaigns.
If this was anything to go by, the future of marketing in Australia is in very good hands.
Until next time,
Lucy & the New Chapter Talent Team
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