Global Brand Visionary Paulie Dery Joins Powerhouse Line-up of Keynotes at ADMA Global Forum 2025

Blackmores Group CMO Joanne Smith to deliver a virtual-exclusive closing keynote and a new panel on privacy regulation exploring the acceptable limits of personalisation in a privacy-led world

MEDIA RELEASE - SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: August 12, 2025: The Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) has unveiled a new wave of speakers for ADMA Global Forum 2025 featuring global and disruptive brand leaders, AG1 CMO Paulie Dery and Blackmores Group CMO Joanne Smith.

Their addition adds to an already formidable line up of leading marketers, including leading futurist Tom Goodwin, business leader Todd Sampson and MECCA CMO Kate Blythe, reinforcing ADMA’s vision to bring together bold thinkers and global brand leaders at the forefront of marketing transformation.

Anchored on the theme ‘Elevate – Marketing’s Next Horizon’, this year’s agenda focuses on shaping marketing’s next era – from building agile, future-ready teams and crafting standout customer experiences, to leveraging compliance as a competitive advantage and driving growth in a complex data-driven world.

Australia-born Paulie Dery, CMO of AG1 and former brand leader at YETI and Uber, will deliver a keynote exploring the rise of identity-first brands. He will unpack what happens when brands don’t just market products, but evangelise identity – revealing how purpose-driven narrative fuels global brand movements. He’ll share how he transformed YETI from a rugged cooler company into a billion-dollar cultural icon through emotionally rich storytelling that sold a lifestyle, not just a product.

Now at AG1, Paulie is applying the same mindset to wellness, turning a daily ritual into a globally resonant movement. Drawing on two decades of global marketing leadership across Sydney and New York, Paulie’s keynote will explore why belief, not benefits, drives loyalty and why Australia is uniquely placed to lead a new wave of world-class storytelling.

Adding to an excellent lineup of keynotes is Joanne Smith, Chief Brand, Innovation and Communications Officer, together with Warren Mackay-Smith, General Manager of AI Health Lab at Blackmores Group. They will deliver a virtual-exclusive closing keynote on how data, innovation and capability work in concert to build high-performing marketing teams. They’ll also share how Blackmores is bridging the gap between potential and performance through data-driven insight, continuous learning and bold experimentation. Expect a future-focused session showing why capability is the engine, data is the compass, and innovation is the outcome.

Andrea Martens, CEO of ADMA, said: “This year’s Global Forum is shaping up to be our strongest yet, with Paulie Dery and Joanne Smith elevating an already exceptional program. From global brand leaders who have transformed some of the world’s most recognisable brands, to experts advancing capability, compliance, change and the ever-increasing and evolving role of AI, the Forum is designed to meet the moment and help marketers lead with confidence.”

“We see Global Forum 2025 as a defining moment for marketing – where ambition meets action. It’s about giving marketing leaders the clarity and tools to shape what’s next and drive meaningful impact.”

An interactive regulatory session exploring the acceptable limits of personalisation in a privacy-led world will feature Peter Leonard and Sarla Fernando, Chair and Deputy Chair of ADMA’s Regulatory and Privacy Working Group – both recognised as leading experts in the field. Using case studies such as personalised pricing, hyper-targeted campaigns and shared data to serve personalised content, the session will invite audience voting on whether each scenario is acceptable or not, before hearing consumer perspectives, regulatory insights and practical steps for marketers to innovate responsibly while anticipating future reforms. 

The huge line-up of previously announced industry leaders includes senior marketers from some of the industry’s most innovative and household brands – MECCA (Kate Blythe), NAB (Natalie Lockwood), PepsiCo (Susan Press) and Optus (Emma Jensen). The full agenda, a third panel, and a major ADMA announcement will be unveiled soon, rounding out what’s set to be ADMA’s most compelling Forum to date.

Limited in-person tickets are selling quickly and ADMA is also offering flexible streaming options to allow online attendees to join for the morning, afternoon or full day, whilst student tickets are available as part of ADMA’s commitment to building future industry capability. The Global Forum is proudly supported by leading brands and organisations, including Heatseeker.ai, which helps businesses make smarter go-to-market decisions using real buyer behaviour and synthetic audiences.
 

Tickets are available at  https://www.adma.com.au/GF25