Meet our first 2024 Keynote Speakers

Prof. Rachel Kennedy

Professor of Marketing
Ehrenberg Bass Institute

Rachel is one of the founding members of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science. She has been recognised as one of “Advertising’s Big Thinkers” by the Advertising Association (UK), she ranks globally in the top 1% of advertising researchers and has been awarded a number of prestigious awards (including the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers for paper which best increases understanding of the way in which advertising works). Rachel is a regular speaker on the global stage (e.g. Cannes Lions, ARF and WARC events) and has presented to and worked with many of the world’s biggest brands on implementing evidence-based practice.

Rachel has been involved in a wide variety of market research projects as well as educating thousands of marketers and senior leaders around the world on what marketing science can teach us, and what it means for growth.

James Hurman

Founder/Co-founder of Previously Unavailable, Tracksuit, AF Drinks and Toothcrush

A passionate believer in the power of creativity and storytelling in business, James Hurman works at a crossroads of brand strategy, storytelling, creativity and entrepreneurialism.

As founder and CEO of Storytech, the world’s first ‘brand strategy in a box’ he has turned this theory into practise, allowing start-ups and small businesses to develop a robust brand strategy for a fraction of the traditional cost.

His Auckland-based venture studio Previously Unavailable specialises in the rapid development of innovative products with non-traditional business models, helping companies big and small bring exciting new ideas into the world.

James’ prior career in the advertising industry was recognised with dozens of marketing effectiveness awards, and in 2013 he was named the world’s #1 strategy planner. His 2011 book The Case for Creativity proved the link between imaginative marketing and commercial success and has been republished several times in multiple languages.

Gus Balbontin

Investor, Advisor and Adventurer 

Born and bred in wild Patagonia, Gus never allowed his small town and humble beginnings get in the way of his big dreams. A healthy disrespect for authority and a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) landed him in Australia at the Young age of 17. By the age of 22, he had dropped out of uni, hitchhiked South America, set up his first business, and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet. Fast forward a few years and he was leading the company globally working with companies such as Google X, Nokia, and Amazon on the latest technology, creative cultures, and high-performing teams. 

Over the last 3 years, Gus has presented around the world. From audiences of 10 to that of 10,000, the simplicity of his message and his counterintuitive way of looking at the world will motivate you to do things differently.

He is involved in the start-up scene as a founder, investor, and advisor and is on the board of Startup Victoria and Director of Above All Human. He currently runs a small Creative Studio and Innovation agency called Roshambo, is the co-founder and partner at Atessa, and is the Entrepreneur in Residence and Executive Director of VU Innovations at Victoria University which keeps him close to large public corporate challenges as well as small business puzzles.

2023 Speakers

Meet our incredible speakers who have shared valuable insights and inspired our audience with their expertise at our 2023 Future of Marketing Summit Australia.
Exciting news about our 2024 lineup are just around the corner - stay tuned!