Last year’s B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards winners in the media planner/buyer category were Ben Breden, Clare Farrugia and Kirsty Harley-Miers. B&T checked in to see where the trio is now.
Enter the 2025 B&T 30 Under 30 Awards now!
Check out the rest of last year’s winners here!
Breden was recently promoted to take on a new role at Initiative as strategy and planning manager.
Since joining Initiative as an intern in 2020, Breden swiftly climbed up the rungs to reach the position of partnerships executive and later, communications designer
Breden recently shared an exciting new project, Planner Pokémon.
“Planner Pokémon is a deck of cards designed to make media thinking easier. It’s an accessible way to learn some basics, jump-start brainstorms, or bust through cobwebs. I made this with support and guidance from a bunch of Initiative heroes much smarter than me, so there are some great nuggets of media wisdom in there. Huge thank you to Priority Printing Solutions (Admar Creations) for partnering with us to turn this concept into a tangible resource,” said Breden.
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Clare Farrugia was a B&T Women in Media winner in 2021 and a finalist in 2024. Since starting at Hatched as a senior performance manager and then reaching the position of performance director, Farrugia has continued making moves in the industry.
The team at Hatched is growing, with a new performance executive, Kara Bernau, joining a few months ago.
Farrugia is also involved in industry volunteering with the Assisterhood program, where she is a mentor. This year’s program launched earlier this year. The program has seen more demand than ever, which it responded to by expanding the program overseas. The program includes over 75 mentors from New Zealand and wider Australia including VIC, NSW and QLD.
Enter the 2025 B&T 30 Under 30 Awards now!
Kirsty Harley-Miers has worked at OMD for 10 years, consistently climbing the ranks. She was promoted earlier this year to senior connections strategist.
“Who says you can’t spend your career with one agency when it has given you the amount of opportunities OMD has given me?” she said.
Winning B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards was a “pinch me” moment for Harley-Miers.
“Who would have thought that digital intern from little old Brissy would be here today?” Harley-Miers shared.
“You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with, and I’ve had the most incredible managers, clients, teams, media partners, mentors, and cheerleaders over the last decade,” she added.
Watch Harley-Miers’ entry video below to see what it takes to pick up an Award!
Enter the 2025 B&T 30 Under 30 Awards now!
