For more than a decade, B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards has propelled the careers of some of the advertising, marketing and media industry’s most promising talent. Some of the industry’s leading founders, directors and luminaries had their first moments in the spotlight at B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards.
Each week, B&T will take a look back at the journeys of some of our 30 Under 30 winners to find out how they’re still changing the world and why there’s still so much more to come.
On-time entries for this year’s B&T 30 Under 30 Awards are closing this Friday! Don’t miss out — step up and stand out. Late entries close on 6 February 2026.
When Liana Rossi won B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards in 2020, she was in lockdown in Tassie, so she missed the fancy award ceremony, which made the win feel a little unreal. “After they called the marketing winners, I was on the phone with my parents because I wasn’t expecting the Grand Prix,” Rossi told B&T.
“On a personal level, it felt really good to be recognised by an expert panel, and it buoyed my confidence. Professionally, it certainly helped my profile, which in turn has afforded me great opportunities like joining the Gruen panel, presenting, writing, mentoring, and judging awards”.
Rossi likes to shake things up and keep surprising herself. Her most recent venture was clown school, which she called an “ego death”.
Rossi was head of content and a social media manager at Mona for four years. Since then, she’s worked at Ogilvy as head of culture and influence and in 2024, launched her own consulting business, Surprisingly Professional.
“I don’t really set goals,” she said. “I more or less say yes to what feels right to explore new skills or clients that interest me. When I started out, the investment in and attention paid to social media were almost nonexistent, so there wasn’t a clear pathway to follow. I have benefited from that open runway”.
“Spending the last 18 months consulting for businesses or working directly within agencies and in-house has given me the breadth and exposure to adapt. I don’t know what it’ll look like next, which I find energising,” she added.
Her advice for young people entering Adland? Taste matters more than ever: harness it, devote time to training your discerning eye, and trust it.
“Stay true to the characteristics that make you different and interesting; there’s plenty of time for corporate cosplay down the track”.
Are you the next Liana Rossi? Enter this year’s B&T 30 Under 30 Awards to step up and stand out. Late entries close on 6 February 2026.
This article appears in B&T’s 75th anniversary print annual, a limited-edition coffee table book releasing in February.
