April 28 Homepage

Melissa officially joined Optus in November 2016 and leads the team for all customer-facing marketing and engagement. A self-confessed tech freak, she is renowned for creating impact for brands with bold and ambitious campaigns in complex and challenging environments.

In January 2020 Optus was recognised as Australia's strongest brand (Brand Finance) and was awarded 'Mumbrella Marketing Team of the Year'. In November 2020 Melissa was named #3 in CMO50 2020.

Melissa has extensive global experience working across a range of brands and sectors on both client and agency side. Melissa was Global Head of Brand for Vodafone in London and previously led brands such as Absolut Vodka, the British Army, Nestle and Fujitsu. Melissa has lived and worked across Europe, Asia Pacific, the U.S. and the Middle East.

Melissa has been a guest lecturer at London School of Economics; a contributor to Fast Company Magazine and a mentor to various U.S.-based start-ups. She is also a strong advocate for mental health and sits on the board of batyr.

Brent Smart is Chief Marketing Officer of IAG, the Australian insurance giant with leading brands including NRMA and CGU. When Brent joined in 2017, NRMA Insurance was ranked the 36th strongest brand in Australia (by Brand Finance). Now, it is the third strongest brand in the country and strongest insurance brand in the world. This brand strength has translated to commercial success that has seen NRMA Insurance win 3 coveted Gold Effies in the last 2 years.

Previously, Brent spent 20 years in the advertising business, rising to CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi New York and leading the New Zealand Agency of the Decade, Colenso BBDO.

Originally from Melbourne which explains his love of Aussie Rules footy, Brent lives in Bondi with his wife and 3 sons who don’t love Aussie Rules footy quite as much.

Josh is Samsung Australia’s Chief Marketing Officer and was recently recognised as B&T Marketer of the Year. As CMO, he is responsible for driving the brand growth of Samsung in Australia in a business that stretches across mobile, wearables, tablets, TV, sound, home appliances, displays, monitors and digital displays.

Prior to this he ran marketing across Asia for Abbott Labs out of Singapore. His earlier career flourished in advertising, before his move client side. During this time Josh rose to become a part of Leo Burnett Sydney’s executive team, whom The Won Report recognised as a top 10 agency in the world.

Alexander Meyer is a people-centric, innovation-driven, and purpose-led Chief Marketing Officer and commercial enterprise leader. He is currently serving as the CMO for Australia’s leading online fashion, sports, and lifestyle retailer THE ICONIC – a business in which he and his team are championing the conversation on diversity and inclusion, body positivity, and sustainability in fashion. Alex and his team focus on how to successfully connect brand and creativity with data-empowered decision-making and Martech excellence. He is grateful to have gained intercontinental leadership experience in global, regional & local business setups of different sizes, such as adidas, Vans, and even pre-alpha start ups. While having a steady focus on bridging the intersection between brand, product & sales, he is all about driving human connectivity. For him, it is all about people - employees, customers, and partners alike. He is a proud husband and father of two boys.