IMAA celebrates 2025 Female Leaders of Tomorrow Graduates; announces 2026 plans

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), Australia’s national industry body representing independent media agencies, has marked the success of its biggest-ever Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme, with events with graduates held nationwide.

Graduation celebrations were held across the country over the past week to mark the overwhelming success of this year’s programme, along with plans for a 2026 intake.

This year, the highly successful programme was the biggest on record, bringing together nearly 30 mentees, selected from a large pool of applicants, and their mentors from Sydney and Melbourne, and for the first time, Brisbane and Perth, for a six-month mentoring programme. While the IMAA facilitates the programme, its ongoing popularity demonstrates the commitment from IMAA member agencies to investing in middle-management professional development.

Due to demand for the programme, up-and-coming female industry professionals from IMAA member agencies were paired with not only some of the country’s top media and marketing executives but also IMAA media partners to gain valuable insights into the Australian media sector, leadership and professional development across online and face-to-face sessions.

This year’s participants were overwhelmingly positive in their feedback on the programme, with all the mentees stating that post-programme, they had improved in actively applying their new leadership capabilities to their current roles.

Eight in 10 participants (86%) said the programme had lifted their leadership ability and given them greater confidence to use their leadership skills in more difficult situations, and every mentee (100%) stated that they had seen improvement in actively applying new leadership capabilities following completion of the programme.

Mentee, Ashley Grey, Group Account Director from The Pistol, said: “I set out to get comfortable with being uncomfortable again, especially when it came to using technology to tackle business challenges. The most valuable insight I gained was from my mentor, who helped me realise I wasn’t being clear enough about what success actually looked like. That lack of clarity was fuelling my hesitation and resistance to step into the unknown. Once I defined a clear goal, I found myself more willing to lean into discomfort to guide me toward meaningful solutions…This program was genuinely transformative.”

Fellow mentee, Claire Piotrowski, Group Account Director from Momentum Marketing, added: “At the start of this programme, I was unsure of my leadership style and second-guessed myself. I’ve since grown into a more confident, strategic leader. I now speak up with clarity, back myself in tough conversations, and lead with purpose. I’ve learned to be more assertive, to delegate effectively and to trust my instincts. I’ve also brought real change to our business, initiating a strategic shift that has given our agency clearer direction. It’s something I never imagined I’d lead and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”

IMAA Chair, The Media Store Chief Operating Officer and Mentor, Jacquie Alley, said: “I think there is a lot of virtue signaling in our industry. There are a lot of people who say ‘We’re not happy with the pay gap’,  ‘We’re not happy that there aren’t enough female leaders.’ And yet, when it comes to the personal cost of carving out some time for someone coming up, that’s not being done enough. You have no choice, because change doesn’t happen unless there is personal cost.

“If our mentees are representatives of the women that we’ve got coming up in the ranks, in our industry, we are in safe hands. They have a beautiful balance of ambition and self-awareness. They are bravely vulnerable and keen to lead with intention and purpose.”

OMA CEO and Mentor, Elizabeth McIntyre, said: “This program has been a really positive experience. I’ve learned so much about myself, and I made myself do everything I asked my mentee to do, and I think that was really interesting for me – that I lead by example.  Mentoring showed me that setting goals and putting pathways into your career, you actually have to make the time.  Mentoring reminded me how important that time is to put aside.”

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said the programme had continued to support young women future leaders in the independent media agency sector.

“The feedback has been incredibly positive, with graduates saying they feel more confident in their leadership skills and more assured in taking the next steps in their career. Overwhelmingly, participants have told us the programme has given them a more strategic approach to their leadership style, helping them refine their communication, their problem-solving skills and their collaborative approach,” he said.

“I would also like to thank our sponsor, oOh!media, and our mentors who volunteered their time to help develop the leadership skills among our mentees. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a high calibre of senior leaders to draw from.

“This programme is part of the IMAA’s commitment to future-proofing the independent media sector, upskilling women and giving them the tools and platform to progress. Now in its second year and with plans to announce a third intake soon, we’re proud of the programme’s contribution to addressing both the gender pay gap and the need for female leaders in Australia’s media industry.”

The 29 2025 IMAA Female Leaders of Tomorrow mentee graduates are:

–        Alana Zanardo – QMS
–        Alex James – Assembled Media
–        Alizee Berger – Benedictus Media
–        Amelia Morgan – Awaken
–        Angela Rogers – Audience Group
–        Anna Longson – This is Flow
–        April Maung – Digital Minds Group
–        Avika Bhardwaj – Slingshot Media Ventures
–        Ashley Grey – The Pistol
–        Berlian Ayudya – Hatched
–        Claire Piotrowski – Momentum Marketing
–        Georgia Maccan – Red Works Media
–        Grace de Cruz – Orange Line
–        Holly Dobson – JCDecaux
–        Huong Ngyuen, Alchemy One
–        Jesse McColl – Enigma
–        Lucy Piccolo – Seven Network
–        Madeline Begg – TFM.Digital
–        Madeleine McConnachie – Half Dome
–        Mairead Ryan – YangoMiya Min – Impetus
–        Nicole Dipierdomenico – Half Dome
–        Sarah Cowie – oOh!media
–        Sarah McNeil – Sunny Advertising
–        Sharna King – Channel Factory
–        Sophie Glasfurd – Bang Digital
–        Susan Axford – Slingshot Media Ventures
–        Tayla Alkilic – The Media Store
–        Tara DeLuccia – operations director

In Sydney, the mentors were Natalie Harvey, CEO at Mamamia; Sasha Mackie, Senior Director – Marketing and Communications – Studios + Networks ANZ, at Warner Bros. Discovery; Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO at OMA; David Pullinger, General Manager – Independent Agencies and Direct Sales at QMS; Leanne Cartwright-Bradford, SVP and Head of APAC at Audible; Jess Roach, Agency Development Lead at Amazon;  Tim Elder, National Head of Sales – Direct Clients, Independent Agencies and Boutique Agencies, at oOh!media; Helen Black, Head of Connection Planning ANZ at Meta; Jen Davidson, Managing Partner at Tumbleturn Marketing and Advisory; Jacquie Alley, COO at The Media Store and IMAA Chair; Natasa Zunic, Strategic Advisor at Australian Pork Ltd; Julie Anne Longano, Founder & Executive Director at Peeps Consulting; and Lizzie Young, CEO at Commercial Radio and Audio.

In Melbourne, the mentors were Belinda Gruebner, Factional CMO; Adam Jacka, General Manager of Marketing at Seven-Eleven (7-11); Deb Trela, General Manager of Sales (Victoria) at Val Morgan; Donna Gordon, Marketing Director at ARN; Peter Charles, Managing Director (Victoria) & Victorian Sales Director at Seven Network; Sara Lappage, Chief Operating Officer at QMS; Jenny La Brooy, Marketing Media Lead; Nikki Clarkson, Chief Marketing Officer at Victoria Racing Club; Marcia Allan, Chief Customer Officer (AU, NZ, UK and Ireland) at Junior Adventures Group; and Jodi Murray-Freedman, Chief Marketing Officer, Bakers Delight.

In Brisbane, the mentors were Kirrily Hirst, Director of Sales – Agency & Direct at GoTransit Media Group; Anthea Gaffney, QLD State Sales Manager at SBS; and Clare Starling, Co-founder and Director at Inner Sanctum Sports Management.

In Perth, the mentor was Antonell Doyle, Group Commercial Director at Nova Entertainment.

The Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme is available to IMAA members. It is designed for women who currently hold manager/director positions, with a minimum of five years’ experience in any media agency discipline. Applications for the 2025-2026 intake will be announced soon.

For more information, visit www.theimaa.com.au.