Judging
Judging Criteria
Entries are assessed by a large independent panel of industry experts. The Judging Panel assesses each entry according to the criteria and merits, taking into account all information provided. Full and completed submissions have the best chance, so be sure to include as much information as possible and adhere to the word limit. The judging panel will then select finalists and winners for each category.
For entries to be fully assessed, it is important that you provide as much detail in your entries as possible and specifically relate this to the entry criteria for each Award. Greater transparency with the judges will enable them to score you fairly. All judges are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before participating. Judges will not be involved in any categories where commercial conflict could arise.
Our panel of seasoned digital experts will carefully judge each nomination against the judging criteria. Scores will be collated and reviewed by the Executive Judging Panel. The judging process will take place from 2-16 September 2026.
2026 Executive Judges
Spencer Bailey (Convenor)
Head of New Zealand
Meta
Craig Whitaker
Head of Google Marketing Platform
Google New Zealand
Iris Benedikt
Chapter Lead, Head of Digital Performance Marketing
Air New Zealand
John Buckley
Director of Digital Revenue & Strategy
Stuff
Katie Macdiarmid
Chief Information Officer
NZME
Valerie Walshe
Chief Revenue Officer
TVNZ
Vanessa Williams
General Manager Marketing & Media
realestate.co.nz
2026 Judges
Akshaya Arun
Digital Performance Manager
ANZ
Alex Crossan
Digital Director
PHD Aotearoa
Alex Lawson
Principal
The Media Practice
Alexander Aroa
Activations Director
MBM
Alicia Tutty
Media Partner
Bastion Aotearoa
Amanda Palenski
Managing Director
PHD Aotearoa
Anita Greenfield
Head of Product
WPP Media
Annie Shaw
Group Digital Director
MBM
Ashwin Sundaram
General Manager Data & Performance
Acquire Data Driven Advertising
Ben Sullivan
Client Solutions Director
NZME
Blaine Hudson
Head of Product & Data
Market Media
Brian Woodward
Digital Performance Manager - Search
ANZ
Campbell Jarvis
Senior Partner Manager
Google New Zealand
Cara Coutts
Senior Client Partner
Dentsu
Caroline Atford
Head of Data & Insights
Stuff
Charlotte Lobo
Senior Activation Director
Together
Chris O'Brien
Head of Strategy
Team Circle
Christina So
Group Digital Director
McCann
Claudine Gregg
Performance Strategist
Spark
Conor Breen
Product Director
PMX
Courtney Newton
Joint Head of Media
Stanley Street
Craig Adolph
Head of Digital
Hemisphere
Craig Delany
General Manager Commercial
MetService
Craig Strachan
Group Sales Manager - Wellington
Go Media
Dan Putland
Chapter Lead - Strategic Planning
Spark
David Laterveer
Stuff Business Director
Stuff
Deep Balsara
Programmatic Manager
NZME
Dishan Chougle
Head of Digital Delivery
Lassoo
Donald Saw
Country Manager, New Zealand
Blis
Dr Shahper Richter
Senior Lecturer Digital Marketing
University of Auckland
Duncan Collins
Digital Solutions Lead
Mindshare
Ella Fitton
Head of Digital Ad Operations
NZME
Ella Gribben
Commercial Director
Nielsen
Ellyn Ricketts
Market Lead, Mid-Market Solutions, Google New Zealand
Google
Emily Isle
Chief Digital Officer
MBM
Erin McCauley
Business Director
OMD New Zealand
Francis Guinto
Analytics Partner
Team Circle
Francis Xavier
Programmatic Media Lead
Google
Galib Hossain
Product Management Director
GroupM
Georgia McNaught
Client Principal
Together
Grisha Kiselev
Senior Research Manager
Stuff Digital
Hamish Scott-Knight
Partner - Innovation and Product
Lassoo Media & PR
Hannah Jawad
Social Director
MBM
Hannah Merritt
Planning Director
PHD Media
Hannah Weir
Performance Lead
Google
Harrison Boys
Senior Digital Performance Manager
ANZ
Harrison Rook
Customer Success Manager
Integral Ad Science
Hayden Tan
Programmatic & Ad Technology Manager
Stuff
Hugh Jannings
Partner
Team Circle
Ivan Atkins
Head of Addressable Investment
Omnicom Media
Ivana Moreton
Account Director
Vast Billboards
Jack Plowright
GM - Programmatic
LUMO Digital Outdoor
Jake Calder
Founder
Fugaz.AI
James Cartwright
NZ Country Manager
Azira
Jane Stanley
GM Chapter Area Lead Marketing
Air New Zealand
Janine Casas
Marketing & Media Manager – Everyday Banking & Brand
Kiwibank
Jas Gierlinski
Group Account Director
NZME
Jenna Coffey
Client Solutions Director
NZME
Jessica May
Client Principal
Together
Jessica Miles
Country Manager, ANZ
Integral Ad Science
Jill Varani
Head of Search
MBM
Joe France
Sales Director, NZ
Taboola
Jonas Jaanimagi
Technology Lead
IAB Australia
Josephine Driscoll
Client Partner ANZ
Double Verify
Kaitlin Mitchell
Business Director
MBM
Kate Addis
Chief Digital Officer
OMD Media
Kate Grigg
Head of PMX
Publicis Media Exchange
Kath Blackmore
Sales Manager
Metservice
Katrina Richmond
Head of Media
Hemisphere
Kelly Badland
Group Business Director
PHD Aotearoa
Kevin van Wyk
Programmatic Director
Go Media
Kris Hadley
Managing Partner
Together
Kristine Gonzaga
Senior Performance Planning Director
Together
Kyra Lyden
Joint Head of Strategy
Spark Foundry
Lara Chislett
Group Search Director
MBM
Lauren Bezuidenhout
Search Director
MBM
Le Ho
Digital Director
OMD
Lee Underwood
Group Business Director
Mindshare/WPP Media
Lisa Broderick
Global MarTech Implementation Manager
Flight Centre Travel Group
Lisa McGee
Digital Strategist
TVNZ
Lloyd Aickin
Head of Digital Revenue Strategy
NZME
Lydia Lightfoot
Retail Account Manager
Google
Malin Lilleskare
Director, Client Services
The Trade Desk
Manjit Singh
General Manager - Activation and Product
Together
Mark Griffiths
Head of Digital
Salesforce
Mark Hayes
NZ Marketing Manager, Digital Experience
Adobe
Mark Reekie
Media Director
Independent Media
Maryjo Cinco
Head of Performance
MBM
Mathew Gardiner
Digital Director
OMD New Zealand
Matt McNeil
Managing Director
The Media Lab
Matthew Holdridge
Commercial Manager - ODT, Digital, Circulation, Marketing
Allied Press Ltd
Max Charnin
Head of Programmatic Outdoor & Radio
MediaWorks
Meenakshi Reddy
Digital Director
PHD Aotearoa
Melissa Evans
Programmatic Director
Stuff
Melvin Hadi
Activation Director (Programmable)
Together
Micaela Bos
Activation Director
OMD New Zealand
Mireille Cope
Group Digital Director
PHD Aotearoa
Monica Wales
Implementation Director
PHD Aotearoa
Murtaza Fidahusen
Performance Strategist
Spark New Zealand
Nancy Ledger
Industry Manager
Google
Nathan Pilkington
Senior Client Partner
Dentsu
Nick Boulstridge
Senior Marketing Consultant - B2B AI Enablement
Spark
Nick Henderson
Commercial Lead NZ
Magnite
Nick Pickering
Digital Media Director
VML
Nick Whitehead
Associate Director
Nielsen
Nikki Rogers
Head of Performance
Google
Niko Batinica
Partner
Team Circle
Nivin Sewpershad
Group Sales Manager Programmatic
JCDecaux
Nureete Burnie
Group Business Director
MBM
Phil Clemas
Co-Founder & CEO
LUMO Digital Outdoor
Phoebe Prescott
Business Director
OMD New Zealand
Polly Prior
Senior Marketing Advisor
MPI
Qassem Naim
Founder at Circle
Team Circle
Rasmika Sukha
Account Director
Mindshare/WPP Media
Ravneel Chandra
Client Partner
TikTok
Rebecca Didovich
Group Digital Director
MBM
Remo Clarison
Performance Director
PHD Aotearoa
Rhys Heron
Principal
Voyager Heron Ltd
Richard Conway
CEO
The Optimisers
Richard Pook
Director & Founder
Youdooh
Richelle Scott
Head of Brandspace New Zealand
Scentre Group
Rob Hutchinson
Chief Digital Officer
TVNZ
Ron Chan
Activation Director
OMD New Zealand
Sahri Thomson
Digital Strategy Director
PHD Aotearoa
Sam Boniface
Client Partner
Together
Sam Burns
Senior Digital Lead
OMD New Zealand
Sam Harris
Partner
Eightyone Media
Sandra Scott
Sales and Partnerships Director
Vistar Media NZ
Sara Yetton
General Manager Auckland Agency
NZME
Sarah O’Carroll
Director of Client Partnerships - NZ
VDX.tv
Sarah Vosloo
Head of Digital
Spark Foundry
Satya Neela
Activation Director
OMD New Zealand
Scott Hughes
Director
Attentiv Media
Sian Kitchen
Media Performance Manager
ANZ
Skipper Lomiwes
Head of Digital Revenue, Solutions & Operations
TVNZ
Stephanie Sokolich
Group Digital Director
Dentsu Aotearoa
Suraj Barnawal
Chief Innovation and Technology Officer
Together
Tim Pointer
Independent Commerce Strategist
Reason
Tina Trenkner-Meade
Founder
Signal + Light
Tom Loseby
Account Director
Mindshare
Toni Steiner
Business Director
OMD New Zealand
Tony Boyte
Independent Consultant
N/A
Troy Parsonson
General Manager, New Zealand
Mars United Commerce
Victoria Kum
Account Director
The Warehouse Group
Vinay Shriyan
Programmatic & Ad Operations Manager
MetService
Wade Loo
Programmatic and Platforms Manager
LUMO Digital Outdoor
Wendel Bowman
Group Digital Director
MBM
Will Douglas
Strategy Director
PHD Aotearoa
Yael Milbank
Managing Director Australia & New Zealand
Magnite
Zane Furtado
GM - Technology & Innovation
Acquire Data Driven Advertising
Zelzob Joy Kakkat
Media Lead
Hemisphere