Liam Hunt On How Snagging His 30 Under 30 Win Kicked Him Into Gear

Are you struggling with your 30 Under 30 application and need some inspo to ensure you snag the gold? We’re here with insight from a former winner to get your confidence up!

10 years have passed but Liam Hunt, who snagged a marketing/PR award in 2013, hasn’t forgotten the secret to taking out this year’s 30 Under 30 presented by Vevo.

Back when he was entering the awards Hunt was a communications manager at Motor Trade Association of South Australia, and now he’s climbed the ladder to find himself as the corporate communications leader of People’s Choice Credit Union.

Check out his words of wisdom below!

B&T: What category did you apply for?

Liam Hunt: Marketing/PR (was a joint category 10 years ago)

B&T: What inspired you to apply?

LH: I was inspired to showcase the opportunities and career prospects in South Australia – I had known lot of people from Sydney and Melbourne win awards but less from SA, and this was really important to me and something I’m passionate about.

Secondly, it was a way to prove and validate to myself that I was in the right industry. I loved my role, but had been in a period of low confidence and wasn’t that inspired at the time. Going through the process, pushed me to really evaluate where I was and what my goals were – it was a real reflection point in my career and one that I am very grateful for.

B&T: In the short term, how did winning the award impact your career?

It provided external recognition which helped my confidence and cemented my leadership position and in a way provided that validation to my peers and importantly myself around what I was trying to achieve. It helped me take the next step in my leadership journey through a promotion, leading to greater responsibility and allowed me to thrive and do different things to achieve great outcomes.

B&T: How did it impact your career long term?

LH: Long term, the award has supported my career growth where I have been able to take on greater leadership roles in a larger corporate organisation. It has also helped me achieve becoming a director of a South Australian not-for-profit some five years ago, where the recognition of my PR and marketing skills (through the award) was significant factor in the board’s selection process.

B&T: Have you applied for any adland awards since 30 Under 30? If so, how did your experience with 30 Under 30 influence this?

LH: No

B&T: What’s something you particularly like about how adland has changed over the past decade?

LH: The variety. There are so many aspects to adland today. You can focus your skills towards a very specific aspect, or, like my preference, take a broader path and use different skills to be creative and achieve outcomes for your business/clients.

B&T: Where does adland still have room for improvement?

LH: With variety and new additions to the adland landscape, comes the need for a better understanding on what best practice is. We need to know where the boundaries are so we don’t push things too far, or play it too safe and not maximise the benefits. This will always be an evolving part of adland, and the quicker we adapt and improve our understanding of best practice, the quicker we can reap the benefits for our businesses and brands.

B&T: What message do you have for this year’s entrants?

LH: Well done for entering. The awards have gone from strength to strength, and the fact that you are confident and proud of what you’re doing to enter these awards, shows that you have a great future ahead in the industry regardless if you’re ultimately successful or not. Learn from the experience, and from the great work which will be showcased throughout the process, as it will support your continued growth as a professional.

Get started on your entry HERE, as the deadline for submissions (Friday, 27 January 2023) will be here before you know it. You can download the criteria for each category HERE.

However, you MUST be under the age of 30 on the day of the event (Wednesday 29 March) to be in the running. So, be sure to include your ID and profile photo with your entry.

Oh, and please save your entry in a Word doc in case so many of you jump onto the awards portal that it crashes. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

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