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Apparent
Team PROFILE
Agency Type
Full service
Ownership
Independent
tagline
Undeniable Impact
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Phil Smith
CEO
Suzy Smiley
Managing director
Charmaine Andrew
Business development director
Hamish Stewart
Chief creative & experience officer
Jason Hill
Chief strategy officer
Matt Olanda
Client services director
Simon Pugh
Chief media officer
Key Stats
Offices
Sydney
Headcount
207
Gender Balance Staff
M: 38%
F: 62%
Gender Balance Leaders
M: 55%
F: 45%
Client book
Client Wins
18
Client Losses
0
Largest clients
Google
Volkswagen Group
Optus
Trophy Cabinet
B&T Awards
Campaign AOY ANZ
Agency Scorecards report
Apparent stepped yp a gear and moved from growing steadily to full on acceleration as a result of commercial strength, creative consistency and cultural momentum.
They grew revenue by 27 per cent and won 18 new clients including Optus Business, Afterpay, and NSW Health, with zero client losses recorded across the year. Its revenue from existing clients climbed 8 per cent, too.
In fact, such was the scale of its new business success, pitch consultants TrinityP3 ranked it number two in terms of new business success across all agencies in Australia.
This performance reinforced Apparent’s position as leading hitmakers in the Australian agency market. The agency now manages 38 active accounts across retained and project-based relationships.
On the back of its new business success, Apparent grew headcount by 11 per cent, to 207 people, while maintaining a hybrid model and strong internal engagement.
Those new employees would have been pleased when they arrived with 99 per cent staff recommending the agency as a great place to work and 93 per cent expressing “deep pride” in its creative output.
The median gender pay gap reduced to 5 per cent, while more than half of band members that join come from diverse backgrounds.
Apparent has also been active in putting AI to work throughout its business.
It had a front row seat and early access to many of Google’s AI tools such as Gemini AI Ultra and Veo3. It created Gemini “Gems” a range of AI assistants to automate high-frequency tasks including the Brand Guardians assistant which provides a first pass review of client work, and an Email Assistant designed to help build a nuanced persona and accurate Gmail inbox UI for Google instructional demos.
It’s no surprise that more than 83 per cent of Apparent’s staff said they feel “very confident” in the use of AI.
The agency delivered standout work across multiple categories. The B&T Award-winning ‘Change Direction’ for the Westerman Jilya Institute was a highlight. But the agency demonstrated the breadth of its abilities for clients such as the new Audi F1 Team.
If it wasn’t already, it should be completely apparent that Apparent is one of the headline acts in the Australian agency market.
Hightlights reel
Audi F1: 'Feel Every Second'
Feel Every Second transformed Audi’s F1 hospitality offering into a premium digital experience and CRM engine. Built as a mobile-first platform, it connected Audi’s motorsport heritage with its future in Formula 1 while capturing full guest-level data. The experience achieved a 75.8 per cent completion rate and generated $233.5M in add-to-cart value, turning a single transactional moment into long-term commercial and data value.
Apparent's take on 2025
After 15 years of growth, this was the year Apparent accelerated, with: 27 per cent year-on-year revenue growth, and 18 new clients, including Optus Business, Afterpay and NSW Health, making us #2 nationally for new business wins (Trinity P3, 2025).
We strengthened our creative leadership with a swathe of new hires and delivered first-class work for Vanuatu Tourism Office,
Kinatico and Jilya Institute, winning the B&T Award for Diversity.
Campaign Global recognised us as one of the top-five Best Places to Work worldwide and APAC’s Independent Agency of the Year.
Ninety-nine per cent of staff recommended Apparent, and we continued investing in 10 days’ reproductive health leave, a reduced gender pay gap and gender-neutral parental leave.
We developed proprietary AI leadership and workflow models, with over 83 per cent of staff saying they feel ‘very confident’ using AI.
And we contributed $728k+ supporting First Nations causes, Cricket for Climate and a range of charities.
Brittany Auchterlonie
Senior Account Director
She played a key role in scaling Apparent’s Google relationship globally and leading complex cross-market integration work.
If we were a band, we'd be...
Foo Fighters
The Foos have built a reputation based on consistency, craft and a relentless commitment to their audience.
They’re known for
creating music that’s direct, brings energy and is built to last. A band that’s been reliably delivering for years, yet still feels fresh
and relevant today.
Apparent
B&T's Agency Score
8.2
Previous season: N/A
Critic's Comment
“In 2025, Apparent turned up the bass, treble and volume to deliver a standout show.”