The Importance Of Thought Diversity: Why GroupM Came On As A Sponsor For B&T’s 30 Under 30

In honour of B&T‘s upcoming 30 Under 30 Party (sorry, Awards) we chatted to GroupM – one of our sponsors for this year’s event – about why the media agency signed on as a sponsor this year.
With the shortlist announced, B&T wanted to understand why sponsoring the awards is important to GroupM, why young people are important in adland and why events like 30 Under 30 are a vital piece for attracting and retaining talent.
GroupM has supported 30 Under 30 for several years, and has signed on for another year (thank you, legends!) Below, we chat with GroupM CEO Mark Lollback.
On why GroupM has come on as a sponsor for another year running, Lollback said: “We’ve supported the 30 under 30 for many years, because we believe that we’re responsible for shaping the next era of media, and to do that, we need to support the young talent that’s going to do it alongside us.”
And, GroupM doesn’t just talk the talk. It walks the walk, too.
Said Lollback: “There’s a lot that senior leaders can learn from the people coming up through the ranks.
“I learn a lot from the young talent in our business, particularly GroupM’s Young Leaders Committee NCo. It’s a board of 12 individuals from across our agencies, in every state sponsored by myself and our Chief Investment officer Nicola Lewis.
“They take on projects and initiatives to help shape our business, and I’m thrilled to see several of them as finalists in 30 Under 30 this year!
“We also offer one of the largest and most comprehensive grad programmes in the industry, offering a 9-month formal education programme as well as on the job learning in a full time, fully paid permanent role. This year we doubled the size of the programme and took on 25 grads who are now thriving within our agencies.
“We also know that there’s a role for us before young people even start their careers by engaging with universities more. That’s why we partner with the University of Sydney’s Marketing Society on their mentoring programme, to shine a light on some of the opportunities and career paths their students can consider.”
Speaking to why young people are important in adland, Lollback said it’s all about diversity of thought.
“What’s important in this industry, whether it’s in media agencies, creative agencies, client-side marketers, entrepreneurs, designers or tech specialists – is diversity of thought, experience and expertise.
“That can come from any age group, but it’s particularly important that we attract young people and tap into their enthusiasm, fresh perspective and capabilities to help them craft fulfilling careers that shape & redefine the future of this industry.”
And on why events like B&T’s 30 Under 30 and recognising the achievements of our young people is so important to the industry, Lollback said: “It gives recognition to the young people coming up in our industry for their achievements so far – and it’s something to aspire to.”
Latest News

REVEALED: All The Finalists For The 2021 Snapchat Young Lions Competition
There's sure to be some tears with the reveal of the Young Lions competition. Even more so if you actually entered.

Congratulations To All Our 30 Under 30 Winners!
There is more talent in this 30 Under 30 winners list than a Manpower strip show at Panthers World Of Entertainment.

Leadership, Humanity, Technology – The Sweet Spot
The SingularityU Australia Executive Program will take place this may, celebrating leadership at the intersection of the values of humanity and the value of technology. The Elon Musks, Apples and Xeros of the world are taking risks for humanity and creating new technologies that streamline and beautify business operations. They simplify life by providing basic […]

OMD Alumnus Launches Specialist Media Agency For The Franchise Sector; TFM Digital
Brisbane media professional and former OMD Australia Account Director Taylor Fielding (pictured) has officially launched TFM Digital. TFM Digital is a specialist media agency based in Newstead which primarily provides media buying services, and strategy development, to businesses chiefly, but not exclusively, within the franchise sector. Prior to the launch of TFM Digital, Fielding spent […]

“Very Creepy”: ABC Forced To Apologise Over Navy Ship Twerking Video
This twerk video has divided the B&T office this morning. By that we mean "hilarious" to "absolutely f@cking hilarious".

Urth Teams Up With Croud To Drive International Growth
The Australian camera accessory brand, Urth, famed for their focus on sustainability, has appointed Croud as their new digital marketing partner, in order to power global and local growth.

VMG Digital And TreSensa Join Forces To Provide Best-Of-Breed Playable Ads
Leading mobile creative technology companies, VMG Digital and TreSensa Technologies, join forces to fuel best-of-breed playable Facebook Ads to help clients drive app installs.

Furphy Celebrates Tellers Of Tall Tales In New ‘Unearthing Unbelievable’ Brand Experience
Eight in ten Aussies (86%)* believe telling a furphy is a unique part of Australian culture, now Furphy is on a mission to celebrate the art of storytelling and uncover the nation’s best furphies.

Know A Standout Marketing Boss? Nominate Them For B&T’s CMO Power List!
B&T's on the hunt for Australia's top marketers! Sure, not as interesting as Australia's top yodellers or log rollers.

Winners! Frocks! Tears! Your Party Pictorial To Last Night’s 30 Under 30!
Judging by the hangovers in the B&T office today you can count yourself damn lucky we even managed this photo thingy.

Publicis Groupe Beats Q1 Expectations, As Aussie Ops Record “Dynamic Organic Growth”
B&T would've added sacre bleu to this Publicis headline, however, we have no idea what it means or how to spell it.

Canva Brings Instagram Scheduling To Canva Pro
Canva owners set to become even more obscenely billionairey after doing latest thing.

Getty Images Announces $US85,000 In Grants For Photojournalists
In this day & age of tech behemoths & media barons, it's nice to see the humble old photojournalist getting a look in.

How To Harness The Skills Of A Gen Y & Z workforce To Future-Proof Your Business
Look, it's top tips to harnessing your Gen Y and Z employees sans any Spanish Inquisition torture techniques.

FutureFeed Appoints Five By Five For Global Launch
Launch marketing specialists Five by Five Global have been appointed by FutureFeed to develop their brand, international certification trademark and go to market strategy. The innovative livestock feed ingredient developed by CSIRO, Meat and Livestock Australian and James Cook University uses a specific genus of seaweed, Asparagopsis, which significantly reduces methane emissions in ruminant livestock. […]

Clems Melbourne Announces 10 New Starters
Excellent hair clearly part of the recruitment process, as Clems Melbourne announces 10 new hirsute starters.

Thursday TV Wrap: Gogglebox Continues Rise While Seven Wins The Night
B&T hosted the 30 Under 30 awards last night AND is bringing you last night's telly numbers. Live the lies here.

SKMG’s Andrew Knowles Snares B&T’s 30 Under 30 For PR
Andrew Knowles, partner and co-founder of the corporate communications consultancy Shoebridge Knowles Media Group (SKMG), has won the PR category in the 2021 B&T 30 Under 30 Awards. Knowles received the award at a ceremony in Sydney last night, claiming victory in a highly competitive field that included leading executives from some of Australia’s biggest […]

WPP AUNZ Launches NextGen Leaders Program
WPP AUNZ says its nextgen leaders program isn't solely open to the company's crawlers and sycophants.

JCDecaux Launches Programmatic Offering & Announces Partnership With Adobe, Building A New Digital And Data Ecosystem
JCDecaux announces Adobe partnership. Which, admittedly, isn't as interesting as, say, a Dannii Minogue partnership.

VGood Launches ‘Undercover Healthy’ Creative Campaign
VGood is a "nut-free, chickpea based range of snacks". Absolutely perfect for boring everyone with your dietary habits.

Nova Boy Turns Up The Feel Good In A New National Marketing Campaign
To its credit, this NOVA pretty press photo totally debunks the "face for radio" adage.

Purpose-led PR And Digital Marketing Agency Compass Studio Wins New Clients B Lab Australia & New Zealand And Verve Super
Boutique PR and digital marketing agency Compass Studio announces a host of new clients this month including B Lab Australia & New Zealand and Verve Super.

LEGOLAND And Vision Australia Team Up For LEGO Braille Bricks
Vision Australia unveils LEGO Braille Bricks. B&T doubts it'll stop you treading on the painful little buggers, however.

The Trade Desk Kicks Off Beta Testing Of Unified ID 2.0 In Australia
For those not in the know, beta testing is a technological term for "we've got no effing idea if this is gonna work".

Einsteinz Communications Marks 20th Anniversary By Joining Global Tech PR Specialist Network, The With Global Alliance
Einsteinz Communications announced today it has joined the Global tech PR agency network, the With Global Alliance.

Yubo Chooses Ogilvy Social.Lab As Their New Agency
For the record, Yubo is a social platform & not to be mistaken with drunk NRL fans more commonly referred to as 'yobbo'.

Setapp Campaign Dives Into Viral Tech Stories
Super Simple Stories answers all the questions you never knew you had about technology innovations

AFL Names Therabody As Its Official Recovery Partner
The AFL is delighted to welcome Therabody as its Official Recovery Partner of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Therabody’s industry-leading devices and research will be integrated into pre-match training and post-match recovery routines to help prevent injuries and help improve overall athletic performance. Therabody will also become the naming partner for the end-of-season AFL […]

Seven Ramps Up Olympics Offering 100 Days Out From Tokyo
The off-again, on-again Olympics are back on again and just as half-a-million hotdog frankfurts reach their expiry date.