Venessa Hunt is the CEO of Fixer & Future, a consulting business bringing strategy to companies’ myriad complexities, which she launched earlier this year. Hunt is known for leading with integrity, aiming to make the industry a better place so that the next generation feels there is a place for them to step into. Her strategic and creative problem-solving skills developed in unconventional situations, all of which she delves into in this week’s iteration of our very own Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham’s Fast 10 column.
1. You’ve had an outstanding career, from real estate sales, Yahoo7, GroupM, and now Fixer & Future. If you had to pick only one, what would be your career highlight so far?
Venessa Hunt: A career-defining position for me was holding the role of chief digital strategy officer at GroupM. Not only because it was an incredible opportunity so early (I was under 35), but because I got to work with and learn from some of the best in the business – John (Steady) Steedman, Rose Herceg, Seb Rennie, and John Miskelly. It was a defining time for our industry, and I was lucky enough to be in the best rooms in Australia to learn.
2. What’s the backstory to your new venture’s name?
VH: I’ve always been “the fixer”, the one called in when things feel too hard, too messy, or too slow. People have always counted on me to get things done. That’s been my constant. And I’ve also always found myself in, or leading, the emerging parts of businesses – from mobile to digital and now beyond. So, when I was naming the business, I went with my true superpowers: Fixer & Future. It’s “what it says on the tin”.
3. I love how you are turning complexity into clarity to unlock change and potential. Can you share a specific example of what that looks like?
VH: Recently, I worked with a business to reframe their entire client-facing product. What had become overwhelming and complex was like trying to navigate with a broken compass. Once we stripped it back and focused on a clear market orientation of what their clients wanted, it became a clear map forward, and a genuine commercial growth engine.
4. As a young girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
VH: Other than a race car driver…I always wanted to be a detective. I loved solving puzzles and figuring out what was really going on. I guess I’m doing a version of that now, just in boardrooms instead of crime scenes.
5. Over your career, what’s the best bit of career advice you’ve been given?
VH: I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from some of the best, so I’ve collected a lot of great advice. But my favourite came from you, Sparrow. You told me: “Never be vanilla”. I’ve stood by that ever since. No one can ever say I sit on the fence.
6. As an industry, what’s one thing we can do better to make us all better?
VH: Use AI as fast as possible to automate the things that can quickly be commoditised. That way, we don’t risk losing the people who actually make our industry what it is – the ideas, creativity, and thinking about things that haven’t been done before. If we don’t, the danger is real: juniors lose their jobs to machines, the thinkers in the middle disappear, and before long, it’s just figureheads briefing machines in a race to extinction. Too harsh?
7. You’ve been on the board of UnLtd and given back heaps to the industry. What’s driven that commitment and passion?
VH: I had a rough childhood, and I want to show kids like me that there are people who genuinely care and will give them opportunities. Beyond that, I believe if you’re lucky enough to have a platform, you use it for good. UnLtd showed me how powerful this industry can be when it channels creativity and energy into something bigger than ourselves.
8. You’ve been at the forefront of digital transformation before it was even a thing. How do you still stay one step ahead and drive innovation?
VH: Curiosity. It’s the only thing that keeps me going. As Einstein said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious”. I ask a lot of questions, listen to people outside the bubble, and don’t mind getting uncomfortable. Innovation usually comes from the edges, not the centre.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
VH: I moved out of home at 17 and did my HSC completely from memory without studying (not recommended!) while working three jobs to pay my rent. My work ethic wasn’t shaped in a classroom. It came from survival, resilience, and finding a way to make things happen. That resourcefulness is probably where my creative problem-solving started.
10. Important last question: Would you recommend your son follow in your footsteps and have a career in advertising/media?
VH: Ten years ago, I would have said yes. This career has taken me all over the world and introduced me to some of the most interesting minds. But now? I really hope he finds something where his creativity can be truly celebrated (which goes back to my answer in Q6). And honestly, whatever he chooses, I’ll be his biggest supporter. At the end of the day, I’d tell him what I tell everyone: choose the path that makes you feel alive, because energy is the real currency of success.
