The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) has unveiled the five senior marketers who will serve as signature judges for the highly anticipated 2025 MFA Awards.
They are Kate Bailey, general manager of brand, digital & media of Coles, Joe Lunn, international head of media at Uber, Suzana Ristevski, chief marketing officer at Google ANZ, Nicole Smart, general manager of group media & media planning at Woolworths Group and Sarah Sorrenson, global media director (VP), Diageo.
These industry leaders will lead a judging cohort of over 100 professionals from media agencies, media owners, tech companies and a record number of marketers.
This year, NotebookLM by GoogleLabs will be used to identify ineligible entries, flagging them for human review to ensure every submission complies with MFA Award rules before reaching the judges – upholding integrity and fairness.
“Every year we aim to recruit the most robust and respected panel of judges in the industry and we couldn’t be prouder of the calibre of outstanding marketing leaders joining the MFA Awards this year. Each one of our Signature Judges is a true champion of media effectiveness, with deep expertise, industry knowledge and proven delivery of world-class media activation. Their unique insights and perspectives will be immensely valuable in evaluating the most innovative and effective media thinking in the country,” MFA Awards co-chairs Chris Colter, managing director of media strategy ANZ at Accenture, and Catherine Rushton, chief strategy pfficer at This Is Flow said.
“I’m excited to be judging the MFA Awards as a signature judge this year. I strongly believe in the power of media to deliver real impact for brands and businesses, and I’m eager to see the exceptional strategic thinking coming out of Australian media agencies. In addition to effectiveness, I’ll be looking for deep customer insight, smart strategy, and bold execution,” Coles general manager of brand, digital & media Kate Bailey said.
Entries to the MFA Awards are open until 2 May, with early bird submissions due by 17 April. Eligible participants – including MFA members, non-member agencies, clients and media owners – are encouraged to submit work that embodies the industry’s We Are The Changers purpose, showcasing best-practice media thinking and long-term business growth.
The winners will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner on Thursday 18 September at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
The 2025 MFA Awards sponsors are:
Grand Prix: Seven
Platinum: Meta, Outdoor Media Association, SBS
Gold: OzTAM, Pinterest, YouTube
Silver: Nielsen
