In this week’s Fast 10, Natalie Dean-Weymark, founder and co-director of Compass Studio, shares how she champions sustainability for Adland, and her advice for others looking to do the same. She has worked widely across the media industry, from editorial co-ordinator to account manager for Mentally Friendly, to advertising and partnerships director for Pedestrian Group.
Dean-Weymark was a winner at the 2024 B&T Women in Media Awards for Sustainability Champion, a cause close to her heart
1. You’ve had a great career, from the early days as an editorial co-ordinator at the then ACP to now the co- founder of Compass Studio. If you had to pick only one, what would be your career highlight so far?
Natalie Dean-Weymark: I don’t have a specific career highlight, but more a series of memorable moments and people. I’ve worked with some wildly talented and inspirational people, on a lot of world-bettering brands. The times I remember most fondly are those milestones created within Compass, including the big dream client wins like Patagonia, Greenpeace, Ben & Jerry’s, and Bank Australia, and the people who have made those wins possible along the way.
2. I love how you have been pioneering sustainability and ethical marketing for years. How do you embed that into your DNA?
ND: You practice what you preach, and that’s a completely internal exercise. It’s how you demonstrate ethics and best-practice…when it’s not for the world to see.
3. The studio has some impressive clients, eg. Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, 1% For The Planet, Bank Australia, Greenpeace – how do you ensure they are doing business better?
ND: We rely on external certifications or markers – like 1% For The Planet contribution, B Corp certification – and some internal processes. But above all, we’ve been living and breathing this space for almost nine years now, so it’s kinda just a lovely mix of gut-feel and high BS radar.
4. As a young girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
ND: A writer, which led me to journalism. But admittedly, I did cycle through zoologist, veterinarian, tap dancer, travel writer, a stylist, and an interior decorator.. Maybe that’s why I started an agency, so I could do everything at once?
5. Last year, you won a B&T Women In Media award for Sustainability Champion. Has this had an impact on your business & people?
ND: People love that purple suit that I’m wearing in the photo, and always ask me if it’s custom-made to match the Compass brand colours. It’s not, but wouldn’t it be fabulous if it were?
The real impact, though, is that it’s opened doors to conversations with brands that finally get that sustainability isn’t just a nice-to-have.
6. As an industry, what’s one thing we can do better to drive real impact around sustainability?
ND: Partner with grassroots organisations. If you are a brand passionate about a particular issue or want to drive behaviour change, find an organisation (usually an NFP) that has real, authentic conversations and connections in that space.
Ben & Jerry’s partnered with the Surfrider Foundation and managed to save 7.7 million hectares of ocean from seismic blasting and pull off the largest paddle-out protest in Australian history. That’s what happens when brands amplify existing movements instead of trying to be the hero.
7. You are a co-founder with your husband; do you have certain rules around no shop talk at the dinner table or on weekends?
ND: We do! Do we always succeed? Of course not. I am a firm believer that our passion for good work is fueled by a good life that exists away from a desk, so we try to enact that, and be engaged and present parents to our two little boys.
But when we fail, which is often, I like to think that perhaps we are equipping the wee ones with some business acumen or world-smarts? Our eldest (7 years old) wants to work on the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior Ship… so perhaps we aren’t creating too much to unpack in future therapy sessions.
8. Can you share a specific example where a client has delivered on impact and grown the bottom line as well?
ND: Our 1 per cent for the Planet campaign, to increase awareness of their certification and logo in Australia, smashed global benchmarks – 29 per cent brand awareness boost, 49 per cent of people said the logo positively influenced their purchasing decisions. But the kicker is, Australian 1 per cent members saw 70 per cent YOY growth.
If it’s good for the future, it’s good for business.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
ND: Missing from my accolades is that I was the reigning champion of the readathon at my primary school, at least three years running. At least.
10. Important last question, do your parents actually know what you do?
N:D Absolutely not. They think I’m a cross between a social media manager, an environmental activist and someone who doesn’t go to the office (therefore, work) much. I mean, if I must?
