B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards, presented by Vevo, celebrate the emerging talent making their mark across Australia’s media, marketing and advertising industries. With the 2027 awards on the horizon, we’re continuing to turn the spotlight back on the standout individuals from the 2026 cohort.
Last week, B&T caught up with Mindshare’s Leah Moriarty, winner of the 2026 People’s Choice Award. This week, we turn to Special Group’s Wendy Hoang, winner of the Agency Account Management category, to chat about her career journey, championing greater cultural representation in advertising and what she hopes to bring to the industry next.
Wendy Hoang has plenty more on her agenda than keeping clients happy. The Special Group senior business manager has built quite the reputation for bringing a sharp cultural perspective to the work, having steered campaigns for Uber and Uber Eats across Australia and New Zealand.
After cutting her teeth at McCann, she has worked with the likes of Mastercard, Microsoft, Bumble and eBay, and helped deliver Uber Eats’ collaboration with Coles.
Away from the briefs, Hoang is just as determined to shake things up, championing greater cultural representation in campaigns and pushing for more diverse voices around the industry’s leadership tables.
Want to know who else made the cut? Take a look at B&T’s full 30 Under 30 2026 winners!
B&T: After winning a 30 Under 30 Award, where do you see yourself in 3, 13 and 30 years’ time?
Wendy Hoang: In 3 years, beyond sharpening my craft and learning the business inside out, I want to keep pushing for diversity and inclusion, not just through the campaigns I deliver, but at an industry-wide level.
And in 13 years, I see myself in a leadership role where I can use my experience to help lower barriers to entry for new talent, while empowering them to build their own influence and lead the industry forward.
It’s a little hard to say where I will be in 30 years. By then, I hope the changes made throughout my career have created a lasting legacy, one where our industry consistently produces outstanding creative work that truly serves and reflects the communities around us.
B&T: Why did you choose to enter the Awards?
WH: When I first started out in my career, navigating this industry sometimes felt lonely, and it was obvious the playing field wasn’t equal. I was fortunate to land at Special, surrounded by a team whose vision for diversity and inclusion aligned with my own. Having a seat at the table where my experience and perspective are valued every day made me realise how much agency culture dictates the work we make and who gets to make it.
I entered the awards to share that perspective, and to remind those in leadership, as well as other talent who might feel the way I once did, that their unique backgrounds are their greatest asset.
B&T: What would you do differently if you were to enter the Awards again?
WH: When I was pulling my submission together, I second-guessed myself a lot. I worried about being too honest about the gaps in our industry, wondering if people would disagree or think I was being dramatic. Even after winning, I initially felt the weight of expectation and questioned how I was supposed to act.
Then a friend pointed out that I won simply because I had the courage to call out things that often go unaddressed. I won by being myself. If I were to enter again, I wouldn’t overthink it. I’d trust my perspective from the start and back myself for speaking up.
B&T: What’s one issue the industry should be spending more time on and why?
WH: Diversity still gets treated like a box-ticking exercise way too often. Putting someone from an ethnically diverse background, person of colour or someone with a disability in an ad gets labelled as progress, but if you look closer, minoritised groups are still getting the smallest roles and the least screen time.
The intent to improve is there, but we need more depth behind it and true understanding of the issues. True inclusion can’t just be a casting decision made at the end of production. It has to start way earlier, built into strategic planning, creative concepting, media buying, etc. When you build it into the foundation of a project, the work naturally becomes real, relevant, and effective.
