Yahoo Academy Announces Class Of 2024

Yahoo is proud to announce the 30 outstanding emerging leaders who have been chosen from more than 200 entries to participate in the Yahoo Academy 2024 program.

Now in its 13th year, the Yahoo Academy has a stellar track record as the industry’s leading talent-building initiative, boasting 360 graduates to date.

The 2024 cohort is made up of individuals across major holding companies, indie agencies and brand marketers from Australia and Singapore, who will converge in Sydney on the 14-15 May for a carefully curated and immersive learning experience aimed at helping them master the skills needed to thrive in the future of work.

Across two days, they will be mentored by industry experts with workshops including:

• Rob Campbell, Head of Strategy, Colenso BBDO, will lead a strategy session to inspire creative leaps;
• Simone Gupta, Co-founder, Supermassive will address idea generation for competitive advantage;
• Tim Sharp, Founder and Principal of GEN8 will workshop practical applications and strategies to assess and master AI tools;
• Kathryn Williams, Owner, KMint, will provide a finance-is-for-everyone session that will help participants master the language of CFOs.

It all culminates in a pitch-off, where delegates will break into teams to solve a real business problem for the Australian charity Musicians Making a Difference (MMAD). They will be challenged to apply learning from the workshops in this practical, team-based challenge. The stakes are high this year, with the winning team receiving a trip to Cannes in Cairns in June, including flights, 4-night accommodation and conference tickets.

“We’re proud of the Yahoo Academy and its impact over the last decade, providing a unique career development experience for many of today’s industry leaders. This year’s program has been designed to help delegates master a range of skills which will be essential in a more automated future workplace. At Yahoo we are excited to offer practical and innovative approaches to solve partner business challenges, which is something we are dedicated to help spread across more of the industry,” said John McNerney, managing director of Yahoo AUSEA.

“Yahoo Academy has proven to be an incredible platform for cultivating the next generation of agency leaders, something Kaimera is deeply committed to. Our ongoing engagement with the Academy has enabled our rising stars to access critical learning and networking opportunities and we’re excited to see the fresh thinking and ideas our delegate brings back from this year’s event,” said Trent McMillan, founder and chief digital officer of Kaimera.

“Each year the Yahoo Academy provides a foundational layer to continue to advance the future leaders of the media industry. JCDecaux is thrilled to have our nominees included in the 2024 program to build a deeper understanding of the omnichannel landscape, foster industry connections and develop their skills for future success,” said Brad Palmer, national programmatic director at JCDecaux Australia & New Zealand.

Participants must have between 1-7 years of experience in digital media, be currently working in a digital role within a media agency or marketing team, and have a passion for the digital media industry. Endorsement by a senior manager was also required to secure a place in the final cohort.

Congratulations to the Yahoo Academy Class of 2024:

Jasmine Phua, Team Lead, CPXi Asia

Tom Doran, Digital Media Coordinator, Endeavour Group

Santiago Aristizabal, Performance Associate Manager, EssenceMediacom

Judith Kottwitz, Client Dev Manager, Group M Nexus

Shriya Tewari, Client Solutions Executive, Half Dome

Connor Dempsey, Investment Manager, Initiative

Tate Boden, Associate Digital Director, Initiative

Alexandra Whitehouse, Senior Programmatic Manager, iProspect

Daniel Caruso, Senior Programmatic Account Manager, JCDecaux Australia

Daniel Miller, Senior Platforms Manager, Kaimera

Luke Pritchard, Addressable Manager, Kinesso

James Hill, Addressable Account Director, Kinesso / IPG

Navzeeth Bijayananda, Associate Director – Performance, Mindshare

Marcus Billingham-Yuen, Client Strategy Manager, News Corp Australia

Shelby Healey, Account Director, OMD

Sophie Cole, Senior Account Manager, OMD

James Porteous, Digital Director, OMD WA

Arunima Sharma, Digital Manager, PHD Media

Angelica Frago, Digital Manager, Publicis

Benjamin Smith, Senior Digital Trader, Qantas Loyalty

Mike Tekeu, Senior Programmatic Trader, Slingshot Media

Charlotte Delay, Senior Exec, Spark Foundry

Kati Wilmer, Associate Digital Director, Spark Foundry

Amirah Mokhtar, Digital Manager, Starcom

Peter Tait, Client Planner, The Speed Agency

Xuan Vo, Senior Account Manager, Them Advertising

Cara Thomson, Planning Manager, UM

Liam Wilson, Strategist, UM Australia

Kate Hughes, Digital Manager, Zenith

Matt Taylor, Digital Executive, Zenith Media Brisbane