The Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) has appointed experienced education and marketing executive Lauren Hyde as its new Chief Executive Officer, taking the helm as the organisation prepares to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape driven by artificial intelligence and shifting workplace skill demands.
Hyde, who officially stepped into the role following an interim period led by Acting CEO Kathryn Illy, brings a quarter-century of commercial leadership experience spanning agency advertising, media sales, and education services.
Her career began in account service at major advertising agencies, including DDB and Leo Burnett, before transitioning into media monitoring and sales at Yellow Pages (now Sensis).
She later expanded into higher education, spending several years at global education provider Pearson, where she scaled university student acquisition and retention. She subsequently served as Managing Director at Cengage ANZ, leading commercial turnaround strategies across print and digital education content.
Addressing her vision for the peak industry body, Hyde emphasised the importance of maintaining the AMI as a lifelong partner for marketing professionals at every career stage, from early entrants to senior executives moving into broader general management.
“We want to be that trusted partner for marketers throughout their career, and it’s going to be my job to create the products, the services, and the membership community that enables that,” Hyde said.
A central priority for the Institute under Hyde’s leadership will be addressing the integration of AI in marketing strategies while supporting continuous upskilling. The AMI currently delivers professional development initiatives in partnership with bodies such as the Australian Centre for AI in Marketing, offering specialised 12-week courses to help practitioners adapt to tech-driven market changes.
Hyde noted that while technological capabilities expand, ethical execution and transparency remain essential foundations for consumer trust. “Ethical execution is still a key component within all of our conversations… no different in the current context with AI,” Hyde said. “At the end of the day, we want to be leveraging technologies that enable us to better serve customers, but there isn’t a fine line when it comes to actual ethics and being transparent.”
Looking at early-career development and broader workforce trends, Hyde highlighted a growing demand for adaptable generalists who possess strong human skills alongside technical capabilities. “So many of them are soft skills, curiosity, resilience, adaptability, versatility,” she noted, highlighting plans to engage directly with early-career members to tailor professional development offerings to current industry shifts.
Reflecting on her core leadership philosophy, Hyde noted that transparency and clear communication remain critical when guiding teams through industry change.
“Transparency builds trust, and trust enables accountability,” Hyde said. “Leading with honesty and visibility not only sets a good example, but it helps people trust their leaders.”
Her key piece of advice for marketers navigating an increasingly outcome-driven business landscape relies on a classic principle: “Begin with the end in mind. Speaking to the outcomes that you can help drive for an organisation is the language that all leaders across all functions understand.”
Hyde succeeds Kathryn Illy, who served as Acting CEO through key national initiatives, including the Marketing Excellence Awards and the inaugural CPM Summit. Illy will assist with the leadership transition through late October before returning to her position on the AMI National Board.