They are often the unsung heroes of the industry that keep CEOs and executive leaders in check and offices running smoothly.
Of all B&T’s Best of the Best lists, this role is one of the most important. Whether it is problem solving, managing busy diaries, organising all aspects of the office and staff events, making all employees feel welcome or even making sure that birthday cakes are never late and have the right number of candles, business support staff are the heart and soul of advertising and media businesses.
There are many wonderful candidates under consideration who did not make this year’s list and the competition was fierce. Honourable mentions go to IPG Mediabrand’s Alice Grenfell, Droga5’s Ellie Porter, GroupM’s Amanda Curr and Havas Australia’s Selina Govind.
This is our final B&T Best of the Best list for 2024, and we reckon it is a fitting finale.
Recently, B&T ran Best of the Best lists for media strategists, social media directors and people and culture leaders. Also check out all of our B&T Best of the Best lists.
Congratulations to everyone who made it onto a list this year, you are all superstars!
10. Kelly Taylor, executive assistant, OMD Australia – Sian Whitnall, Laura Nice, Marelle Salib, Kenny Stewart
Taylor is a fundamental part of Australia’s largest media agency, providing invaluable support to both CEOs Whitnall and Nice as well as the broader executive leadership team and OMD community.
Taylor is described as “constantly proactive, looking for ways to improve on how we work together and finds solutions to problems we weren’t yet aware of”. Taylor champions and lives up to OMD’s values of being stronger together. Not only does Taylor ensure OMDers show up in the best possible way, she is also on hand to help out with kids, dogs, cats and general life survival.
9. Darren Conlon, executive assistant to Dentsu Group CEO Patricio De Matteis
Conlon is the most senior executive assistant at Dentsu, organising group CEO Patricio De Matteis and leads the holdco’s group of EAs, including Amy Medcalf who looks after the creative business and Georgia Parry who looks after the media business.
He is described as being “the glue of the business, constantly swamped with requests across the group but always quick to respond and happy to lean in to get initiatives across the line and jobs done”. Based in Dntsu’s Melbourne office, ‘Daz’ is regarded as a “fantastic team player, ready with a laugh and a joke to brighten everyone’s day”.
One insider told B&T: “Darren is very organised, he makes you feel prioritised – when you ask him to help with something or do something, you can leave it with him 100 per cent confident it will happen”.
8. Sue Franklin, executive assistant and office manager, Mindshare Melbourne
Franklin is described as “the heart and soul of the Mindshare Melbourne office” and has been at the agency for more than two decades.
As well as looking after Melbourne MD Christian Solomon and the Melbourne team, Franklin has stepped up to support national CEO Maria Grivas, Sydney MD Kate O’Ryan-Roeder and the wide executive leadership team. She is the first port of call for Mindshare’s media partners and clients, and also plays a significant role in GroupM and WPP engagement initiatives within Melbourne.
Franklin co-founded the Purple Power Squad (Mindshare’s social committee), and is heavily involved in Mindshare’s social impact partnership with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. She sits on the board for UnLtd, manages a busy schedule of internal and external events, including Mindshare Reps Party, Pride month, NAIDOC week, International Women’s Day, GroupM Open House, GroupM Family Day and supporting MFA and UnLtd events.
7. Madelaine Zahr, executive assistant to Pinterest ANZ managing director
Zahr joined Pinterest Australia in November 2019 as its ninth employee. She was among the final cohort of new hires to travel to San Francisco for in-person onboarding before the pandemic struck.
In the past three years, Zahr has supported Pinterest’s growth in the region; the business has more than 50 employees based in Australia and is thriving. Zahr likens her role to being an ‘office ninja’. She enjoys fostering relationships with country manager, Melinda Petrunoff, and other executives across the business, and has been a vital part of Pinterest’s remarkable growth story in this market.
The only business support exec who made last year’s list, Zahr won an Australian Admin Community award for being the “People’s Champion” – a fitting description in B&T’s books.
6. Gemma Banning executive assistant to chief executive officer and chief creative officer, BMF Australia
Gemma Banning is so much more than an EA—she’s the heart, soul and engine room of BMF. Banning is “everything to everyone, all at once”, one BMF insider tells B&T.
From driving culture to keeping the gears of the business turning, Banning’s role goes far beyond calendars and to-do lists. She’s the one who makes the impossible possible and does it all the true BMF way, with equal measures Cheeky, Gutsy and Humble.
Banning solves problems before they even arise, steps in to make sure the wheels are turning smoothly behind the scenes, and supports every project, person, and initiative with equal energy and commitment. She makes sure the entire agency functions at its best.
5. Liz Nixon, executive assistant to the Publicis Groupe CFO Henri Raymond and chief talent officer Pauly Grant
Nixon joined Publicis Groupe ANZ in 2017, originally as an executive assistant across multiple members of the senior leadership team. Over time, this evolved to now providing deeper support for Publicis Groupe APAC & ANZ chief talent officer, Pauly Grant, and Publicis Groupe ANZ chief financial officer, Henri Raymond.
The scope of Nixon’s role varies from managing itineraries to communications and project management, and she is always interested in leaning into new projects that help discover her strengths. Prior to joining the Groupe, Nixon worked as an assistant genetic technician for the NHS in the UK, but found she much preferred the varied nature and pace of EA work, hanging up her lab coat for good.
4. Lucy Bardakjian, executive assistant to Wavemaker CEO Peter Vogel
Bardakjian has been with Wavemaker for nearly eight years, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone that cares as much about the people they work with.
Wavemaker colleagues told B&T that Bardakjian is “a passionate and composed hand steering the agency through the everyday chaos and extraordinary moments of agency life”. Aside from running the office, she helps onboard every new starter, organises birthday cake celebrations each month, supports the agency’s national executive team and provides a helpful hand in pitches through the year.
Bardakjian also supports GroupM and WPP and has been a pivotal driver of the end of year party bringing all GroupM’s agencies in Sydney together. She is also part of the change committee, prepping GroupM’s major office to move into a new WPP campus in Barangaroo in January. Testament to her impact is that from January 2025, she will take up a new role working alongside WPP Country president Rose Herceg as her executive assistant.
3. Peta Smithers, executive assistant to Nine chief sales officer Michael Stephenson
Sometimes it’s easy to forget what makes a job truly enjoyable – more often than not it’s the people you work with. Smithers helps foster a warm and fun environment in Nine’s Sydney office.
She has been at Nine for nearly a decade, and is the EA to chief sales officer Michael Stephenson and two other Nine Sales executives – Warwick Sharp (director of sales operations) and Lisa Day (director of powered). With a welcoming personality, Smithers has taken on multiple duties outside of her role including driving cultural diversity initiatives as part of her role on Nine’s Culture & Diversity Committee, and managing work experience students. Over the years she has garnered a reputation as approachable with a wealth of knowledge about Nine that extends beyond the sales world, and has become a mentor to younger staff.
2. Bronwyn Parrott, executive assistant, OMG Australia, including Peter Horgan, Kristiaan Kroon, Hugh Murnane, Kim Hamilton
Parrott is an absolute superstar EA. Not only is she the EA to OMG CEO Peter Horgan, but she also supports chief investment officer Kristiaan Kroon, chief financial and operating officer Hugh Murnane and chief marketing officer Kim Hamilton.
She has been with Omnicom Media Group for just over five years and is part of the company’s DNA. Parrot’s ability to seamlessly manage schedules and priorities, foster collaboration and problem solve are second to none. She knows how to get the job done “with a positive attitude and warm nature”. One insider told B&T: “Parrott is a calm leader in any situation and makes us all look good.”
1. Rachel Green, executive assistant to Hoyts Group CEO Damian Keogh
Green has had an exceptional 16-year tenure supporting HOYTS Group CEO Damian Keogh. Her role extends far beyond a traditional executive assistant and she manages operations for a team of 200 within a company of 3,500 across Australia and New Zealand.
In the past year, her achievements include leading a huge refurbishment project for HOYTS’ offices, successfully handling the relocation of 190 staff, managing the budget and resolving challenges to ensure the project was completed on time and within budget.
Green is also a dedicated mentor, guiding emerging talent and fostering professional growth within the industry. Outside of HOYTS, Green hosts industry networking events, raises awareness of endometriosis and serves as an internal ambassador for the RSPCA. Industry insiders note her leadership, efficiency and positive demeanour.
Green won the Business Support category at this year’s Women In Media Awards and is a worthy leader of this year’s Best of the Best Business Support Executives list.
