Social Change Maker Profile: Max Learmont, Ikon Communications

For the past couple months, B&T has partnered with UnLtd to bring attention to some game-changing stars in our industry and their respective charity work. And they just keep getting more and more impressive.

Last week we spoke to Nolan Yu about winning a MFA NGen Award last year – which happened to be with this week’s social change maker, Max Learmont! Max, 23, is a junior strategist at Ikon Communications, and is passionate about getting some air conditioning on sweaty Sydney trains. Which we completely agree with.

Obviously, Max has other passions, and here at B&T, so do we. In fact, we’re hosting an event in a little over a month to promote diversity and inclusion in the Aussie advertising, marketing and media landscape.

B&T‘s Changing the Ratio will provide attendees with game-changing ideas, practical tools and case studies to take back to their organisations. So to see captivating and inspiring speakers like Lisa Wilkinson, Deng Thiak Adut and Cátia Malaquias, grab tickets to this event right here.

Now on to Max and his other passions!

First ever job: After-school care worker.

If I wasn’t doing my job, I’d be: In the Centrelink line.

How I got where I am today: It was raining one day at Sydney Uni. I took shelter in one of the buildings. Turns out a marketing fair was on. This led me to an internship search, which led to a media buying role, which led to my current job in strategy. Funny how things pan out.

Causes I care about: I can’t comprehend why Australia is not completely powered by solar energy in 2018. We have an abundance of sun and space. We could be the power half of south-east Asia if we took solar seriously enough. Instead, we are investing in “clean coal”. What?

The change I’d like to see in the world and why it’s important: Air-conditioning on Sydney trains. Summers can be a sweaty mess.

How did you first get involved with UnLtd: I had a crack at last year’s NGEN brief with Nolan Yu. Our entry won gold and now we are bringing our idea to life with the charity Hear For You and UnLtd.

The charity projects I’m currently working on: I’m working with Hear For You to create the largest online community for deaf teens in Australia. Our community is called League of Hearoes and it lives inside a Minecraft server. The project is funded and hosted by Microsoft.

Some social issues I’m passionate about are: There are countless migrants working as Uber drivers, who have the qualifications to be: engineers, professors and doctors. Australia should utilise all the talent we have and not push these people to the fringes of the gig economy.

Why I want to give back: Media and marketing gives us an incredible skill-set to grow companies. Why not use this to grow charities and do some pro-bono work? It’s incredibly rewarding.

The best/most rewarding volunteering experience I’ve had: The work I’m doing right now for Hear For You. Creating an entirely new world that allows disadvantaged teens to express themselves and reach their potential is epic.

My greatest achievement: I once hit a half-court buzzer beater to win a rec league basketball game. Not the answer you were expecting, however it’s something I’m still quite proud of.

The person/company I’d like to challenge to get involved & why: I want to get a coffee with Helen Chiang the new head of Minecraft at Microsoft to discuss scaling the League of Hearoes.

My advice for someone just starting their career is: If something doesn’t feel right, quit. Never be afraid to try something new.

If I could have one super power that would be: The ability to avoid awkward social interactions.

UnLtd is a social purpose organisation connecting the media, marketing and creative industries with charities helping children and young people at risk. Find out how you can get involved at unltd.org.au.

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B&T Changing the Ratio Cátia Malaquias changing the ratio Deng Thiak Adut Ikon Communications lisa wilkinson Max Learmont UNLTD