Returning to marketing leadership ranks after a year off, the former Coles and Tourism Australia marketing chief has taken the reins of Medibank’s marketing team at a challenging time for the health insurance company and wider industry.
Lisa Ronson has been appointed chief marketing officer at private health insurance firm Medibank with a remit to drive growth and enhance customer engagement.
The decorated senior marketer, who has led marketing teams at Coles, Tourism Australia, Westpac Group, Telstra and David Jones, returns to the CMO hot seat later this month after a career break.
Ronson told B&T the Medibank role appealed to her for three primary reasons.
“I had a few conversations with them, and I genuinely loved the people and the purpose they had, and also the business challenges that they were very open about setting out. So it was a kind of trifecta for me,” she said.
“One of the things that attracted me to them was that diverse experience I have of working on lots of different brands that have varying levels of trust and engagement with customers.
“They’re on a journey and they generally want business growth and to reposition as a more holistic health brand. And that really excites me.”
Ronson will report to chief customer officer Milosh Milisavljevic, who said he was “thrilled” to welcome her to the company.
”Lisa’s extensive experience and proven track record in building strong consumer brands and leading high-performing teams will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our customer engagement and drive business growth,” Milisavljevic said.
“Her innovative approach and leadership will undoubtedly help us achieve our strategic goals.”
Ronson joins Medibank later this month and at a testing time. In October 2022, Russian cyber-crime gang REvil hacked Medibank, stealing personal information of 9.7 million people, Australia’s largest data security breach on record.
The privacy watchdog, Australian Information Commission, recently launched a civil suit against Medibank for failing to protect the details of its customers.
“Even with some of the issues back in 2022 they’re still one of the most trusted brands in Australia. So that shows that there is a lot of love and affection for the brand,” said Ronson, when asked about the case.
“When you look at Medibank’s vision and purpose, it is about being a health brand and really looking out for the health and wellbeing of Australians.”
Ronson also rejoins the marketing ranks at a challenging time for the industry with marketing budgets under pressure due to the economic downturn and cost of living crisis.
“It’s tough for a lot of people because the natural inkling in a challenged economic environment is to really look at the marketing spend and what’s working, what isn’t. This should be done on a day-to-day basis anyway, but there is just that little bit more scrutiny about every dollar that every organisation spends,” she said.
“As marketers, we need to come together and continue to prove that marketing is not a cost centre, but it’s a growth engine for business when done well. Those organisations that treat it that way will always come out of a tough economic climate in a better state.”
Although officially on a career break, Ronson has kept busy and connected to the industry over the past year.
She is a regular speaker, an adjunct professor at Deakin University, a mentor and serves as a director of Wheelchair Rugby Australia.
Ronson was the marketing chief at Tourism Australia when Droga5 was its creative agency in 2018, producing the award-winning Dundee campaign that picked up a Titaniun Lion Award in 2018.
Today, Tourism Australia re-appointed Droga5 and stablemates Accenture Song and The Monkeys, as its new creative and digital agency partners.
Ronson begins her new role on 22 July.
