Behind every standout campaign is a strategist who sees what others can’t, connecting data with culture, instinct with evidence, and creativity with commercial impact.
These are the ones who turn abstract ideas into long-term brand platforms, who ask the hard questions, and who make sure the work doesn’t just look good but works. In short, strategists are the industry’s engine room; without them, the big ideas would never leave the page.
Welcome back to B&T’s Best Of The Best! This week, we’re shining a spotlight on Creative Strategists: the big thinkers who guide agencies and brands to their boldest work.
This list celebrates ten exceptional leaders, though the truth is our industry is brimming with strategic talent. Clemenger BBDO’s Simon Wassef, Bastion’s Angela Morris, Dentsu’s David Halter and Ogilvy’s Fran Clayton are all very unlucky to miss out on this top 10.
Like always, the differences between them are razor-thin, and while separating such talent was no easy task, it’s proof of just how strong the strategy bench is right now.
In the weeks to come, we’ll be looking at the Best of the Best media agency strategists and independent consultants. Nominate your picks below now.
So, without further ado, here they are: B&T’s Best of the Best Creative Strategists!
10. Olly Taylor, chief strategy officer, Havas Creative Group Australia
Olly Taylor is one of the most respected strategists in the country, having been with the Havas family for more than 20 years. In 2021, he was promoted to chief strategy officer of the group, bringing Host/Havas, Red Havas, One Green Bean, Havas Commerce and Havas Labs under his remit.
Last year’s number eight, Taylor’s work has continued to shine in a challenging market with smart, out-of-the-box thinking to deliver outsized impact for clients.
Recently, Taylor provided his smarts to a campaign to mark IKEA’s 50th birthday in Australia. Combining the best of life down under with a touch of Swedish panache, the team created meatball pies and some natty yellow-and-blue thongs (a pair of which still hold pride of place in the home of one B&T staffer).
9. Michael Hogg, chief strategy officer, TBWA Sydney & Eloise Liley, chief strategy officer, TBWA Melbourne
Michael Hogg and Eloise Liley are driving TBWA’s strategic leadership across Sydney and Melbourne, bringing both fresh perspective and proven experience to two of the network’s most important markets.
Hogg, who joined as chief strategy officer in Sydney in April 2025 after five years as managing partner and CSO at Emotive, made an immediate impact by helping secure the Woolworths’ Everyday Rewards account. The win proved his ability to marry sharp strategy with culture-shifting creative outcomes.
In Melbourne, Liley stepped into the CSO role in December 2024 after rising through the agency since 2020 as group strategy director and co-head of strategy.
Her leadership has been central to major achievements, including the consolidated Kraft Heinz account across Australia and New Zealand, and the Specsavers “Welcome to Melbourne” campaign, which picked up two gold Cairns Crocodile Awards in 2025.
Together, Hogg and Liley embody TBWA’s modern strategic direction, helping secure high-profile accounts and deliver standout campaigns that reinforce TBWA’s reputation.
8. Lilian Sor, chief strategy officer, Howatson+Company
Lilly Sor joined Howatson+Company as chief strategy officer in April 2025, bringing with her a track record of effectiveness and cultural impact across some of the world’s leading agencies.
She arrived from CHEP Network, where she spent nearly three years leading strategy and planning across the network, and before that was CSO at Clems Sydney. Her earlier career included six years in the UK at Grey London and AMV BBDO, and roles at Host and Lavender, cementing her as a strategist with both global perspective and local influence.
Howatson+Co founder and CEO Chris Howatson described her as “a strategist obsessed by effectiveness” whose energy, values and focus on doing the right thing make her the ideal leader for the agency’s strategy practice.
We’re expecting very, very big things from Sor and Howatson+Company.
7. Alyce Gillis, Head of Strategy, Today The Brave
Alyce Gillis, head of strategy at Today the Brave, has carved a reputation for designing brand conversations that people find indispensable.
Her hybrid background across brand, communications, PR, social and digital has led to campaigns that save cities 170 million litres of water a day, spark national conversations about the athleticism of female NRL players and inspires young girls to rethink male-skewed Christmas traditions.
Working across McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, IKEA, Uber, Google and CommBank just to name a few, her has work consistently blended cultural cut-through with measurable impact.
At Today the Brave, Gillis has been central to shaping the agency’s voice and ambition during a period of rapid growth. In 2024 independent shop doubled revenue, tripled headcount and added marquee clients such as Carnival Cruise Line, HOYTS, MECCA and the University of Sydney.
Working alongside creative bosses Jade Manning and Vince Osmond, Gillis has helped sharpen the agency’s strategic backbone and ensure its mantra, “Today is a good day to be brave”, translates into award-winning campaigns.
6. Alison Tilling, chief strategy officer, Australia & New Zealand, VML
Alison Tilling is VML’s chief strategy officer across Australia and New Zealand. She has built her career on combining real-world insight with data to create fresh, effective strategies.
Leading a team of 14 strategists across brand, data and communications, she has fostered a culture of “work that works,” ensuring creativity is measured not just by craft but by commercial and social impact.
Her track record includes six years driving Aldi’s strategy at BMF, where the supermarket grew from 4 per cent to 12 per cent market share, as well as award-winning campaigns for P&O Cruises, Transport for NSW, Dulux and Schweppes.
Earlier, she honed her skills at TBWA\London, Wieden+Kennedy and client-side with Apple, building a foundation of global perspective that informs her approach today.
Tilling’s leadership has been integral to VML’s evolution under the OneVML banner, where uniting six offices and more than 250 staff required both clarity and ambition.
In 2024, the agency secured 23 new client wins, defended cornerstone accounts and delivered standout campaigns like RACQ’s Jurassic refresh, Rip Curl’s surf app and the Cannes Grand Prix-winning ‘KitKat Break Chair’.
VML’s work for Legacy lager, which took home five Cairns Crocodiles including gold in Experiential & Activation, exemplified the agency’s ability to blend cultural resonance with meaningful impact.
Beyond client work, Tilling contributes to the industry through the APG Committee, mentoring, conference speaking and regular appearances on ABC’s Gruen.
5. Catherine King, chief strategy officer, Leo
Catherine King has more than two decades of experience shaping brands through creativity, behavioural insight and earned media.
Since 2021 she has led Leo’s national strategy team, building effective, enduring ideas across telco, insurance, tourism, food and beverage, pharma and financial services.
King’s belief in creativity as a driver of business transformation is reflected not only in research but also in the agency’s bold campaigns, from Johnnie Walker’s reimagining of Pride to Prime Video’s cinematic cricket work.
In 2024, Leo consolidated major accounts such as Suncorp and ANZ while advancing a “Business of Reinvention” positioning that pushed both client work and internal innovation.
With a reputation for strategic rigour and a passion for effectiveness, King has ensured strategy remains the backbone of an agency redefining itself for a new era, proving that brave, original ideas can both shift behaviour and build long-term brand value.
4. Dave Di Veroli, partner & chief strategy officer at Akcelo
Akcelo’s Dave Di Veroli has built a reputation for solving business challenges at the intersection of creativity and technology.
As a founding partner of the global brand experience and innovation company, he has helped shape platforms for McDonald’s, Netflix, Google and LEGO, earning international recognition for effectiveness and innovation.
His work has been awarded at Cannes Lions, Clios and with the rare Yellow D&AD Pencil, while his thought leadership has been featured across the globe.
Under Di Veroli’s strategic leadership, Akcelo has become one of Australia’s most dynamic independents.
In 2024, the agency delivered 25 per cent growth, retained 100 per cent of its client base and expanded its work into 26 countries. Campaigns such as McDonald’s Dare to Play, Gatorade’s Water Wasn’t Made for This and Forty Winks’ Go To Better Sleep exemplified its ability to fuse cultural relevance with commercial impact.
That momentum was reflected in the B&T Awards, where Akcelo took home the Grand Prix alongside titles for Experiential/Promotional Agency of the Year, Independent Agency of the Year (50+ employees) and NSW Agency of the Year.
3. Christina Aventi, chief strategy officer, BMF Australia
Christina Aventi is known for digging deep into problems, sometimes even creating them, until she uncovers insights that shift culture and behaviour.
With more than two decades in strategy, she has built a reputation for championing both the craft and the creativity of planning, balancing rigour with a restless curiosity.
Aventi has contributed to work recognised across the globe, and was part of the team that helped BMF secure Most Effective Agency titles at the Effies in 2017, 2019 and 2024, as well as ranking #3 globally in the WARC Creative Effectiveness rankings.
At BMF, Aventi has overseen a strategy-first approach that has fuelled standout behaviour-change campaigns for ALDI, the Australian Government and Tourism Tasmania.
The agency’s “Long Idea” philosophy, which she has helped embed, underpins brand-building that outlasts campaigns and proves effectiveness over time.
In 2024, BMF added seven new clients including Endeavour Group, and retained every account, finishing the year as B&T’s Branding, Design & CX Agency of the Year. Most recently the agency picked up the HCF creative account.
Aventi’s influence extends beyond the agency floor. A regular commentator on ABC’s Gruen, she is also active on industry panels and initiatives focused on effectiveness, diversity and inclusion.
2. Adam Ferrier, co-founder/chief thinker, Thinkerbell
Adam Ferrier is Thinkerbell’s chief thinker and one of Australia’s most, erm, distinctive creative strategists. A consumer psychologist by training he’s built a career on blending behavioural science with hardcore creativity.
After beginning his professional life as a criminal psychologist, he co-founded Naked Communications APAC in 2004, where a behavioural change model drove some of the most audacious and awarded work of its era. In 2017, he co-founded Thinkerbell, where the agency’s philosophy of “measured magic” has propelled it to global recognition.
Ferrier’s influence extends far beyond the agency walls. He is the author of The Advertising Effect and Stop Listening to the Customer, co-host of the Black T-Shirts podcast, and a regular commentator on Gruen, Sunrise and The Project.
His thought leadership has appeared in TIME, Fast Company, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal and is a regular contributor to B&T. His iconic keynotes equip audiences with evidence-based tools to unlock creativity that works.
Under Ferrier’s direction, Thinkerbell continues to thrive as an independent powerhouse. In 2024, the agency secured 27 new client wins, delivered culture-shaping campaigns from Tooheys’ State of Origin anthem to V Energy’s global tongue-to-billboard stunt, and added CX agency Hardhat to strengthen its integrated model.
1. Dave Hartmann, Strategy Partner, Special Group
Dave Hartmann has spent a decade shaping Special’s rise into one of the world’s most respected independents.
Beginning his career at Leo Burnett in 2000 before moving into strategy roles at The Campaign Palace and BMF, Hartmann has built a reputation for fusing commercial impact with cultural resonance.
At Special, he has been instrumental in driving the agency’s strategy across marquee campaigns like Uber Eats’ Get Almost, Almost Anything with Cher, Bonds’ As Worn by Us, and the Dylan Alcott Foundation’s Shift 20 Initiative, work that not only wins awards but also sets new benchmarks for how brands show up in culture.
His tenure has coincided with a period of explosive growth for Special. In 2024, the agency marked its tenth year with a haul of seven Agency of the Year titles, 17 effectiveness awards and work that travelled from Australasia to the global stage, including Super Bowl airtime.
In September 2025, Special added Honda’s automotive division to its roster, one of the few gaps left in its client book. With Hartmann shaping the strategic foundation, Special continues to demonstrate how creativity, commerce, culture and conscience can work together to deliver ideas that resonate worldwide.
And that’s why he’s B&T’s Best of the Best Creative Strategists.
