Campaign Brief WA’s Ad Person of The Year awarded to Brent Stewart + 303 MullenLowe’s Rebecca Di Pardo takes out Supernova of the Year

Seven West Media’s Chief Sales Officer, Brent Stewart, ticks all the boxes when it comes to qualifying for this award. His personal success and industry impact over the past 12 months has seen Stewart emerge as a worthy recipient of this year’s Ad Person of the Year Award. Stewart is the 34th person to be awarded Campaign Brief Ad Person of the year since the award was introduced in 1987. Two time past winners include Mike Edmonds (303/Meerkats), John Driscoll (Marketforce), Gavin Bain (Meerkats/Wunderman Thompson), Ken James (The Brand Agency), Stephen Wells (303), Bruce Shorter (The Shorter Group).

Brent Stewart has been a prominent and driving force across the Perth media industry for more than 14 years, holding multiple senior leadership roles across print, digital and radio media, and culminating in the appointment to his current position of Chief Sales Officer, Seven West Media WA in May 2023.

Stewart leads more than 180 staff in offices spanning the entire state and nationally, with multiple business units within the Advertising department, including agency and direct sales, specialised digital units, a commercial content studio team, custom publishing hub, and print and digital advertising operations.

His leadership is characterised by passion, infectious enthusiasm, dogged determination, the ability to inspire and a dedication to excellence, all bound by humour and steadfast support. Having walked in the shoes of many of his staff, Stewart has been a generous mentor throughout his career, sharing his experience and acumen to help others succeed.

Throughout his time at SWM, Stewart has been instrumental in the launch of new platforms and products that has had significant impacts on the advertising landscape, creating diverse new offerings for clients. This includes the launch of The Game app, community sport platform Streamer and most recently, The Nightly. A key focus for Stewart is building a high-performing, innovative team to deliver effective campaigns for SWM WA clients.

When developing solutions for clients, Stewart always promotes innovation and individual thinking and create a fun environment for clients. He is a strong advocate for Publisher media within the Perth market, launching new initiatives to encourage and educate young people entering the industry. Brent is committed to engaging with the wider industry to ensure its continual growth as a collective body and is best placed to welcome the brightest minds who, in turn as the next generation of leaders, will elevate the future of the advertising industry. Representing SWM WA on the IAB Digital Measurement Council and working closely with industry bodies such as Think News Brands and the Advertising Council Australia further demonstrates Stewart’s commitment to advocate for the advertising industry.

Also shortlisted for this award were:
Meg Coffey – Coffey & Tea
Paul Coghlan – Moonsail
Josh Edge – Marketforce & past PADC President
Jim Groves – Carat
Cindy Henderson – Essence MediaCom & past Oasis Chair
Amy Sutton – Anthologie
Melissa Vella – Advertising Council Australia
Matt Wilson – Wildlings

This award recognises young talent that are judged to be future leaders in the industry. First introduced in 2007, the Supernova of the Year award is proudly sponsored by Nova 93.7, and previous winners include Luke O’Sullivan, Meredith Simpson, Matt Nankirvell, Holly Brindle, Natalie Stoelwinder, Eloise Cribb and Tyson Spensieri. This year’s Supernova of the Year award is awarded to 303ML’s Rebecca Di Pardo.

Passion has been the driving force behind every career decision Rebecca Di Pardo has made.

After completing a Bachelor of Communications at Bond University, she eagerly returned home to Perth, ready to jumpstart her career in advertising. In 2021,she joined 303 MullenLowe as an Account Coordinator where she worked across a range of clients, including Mental Health Commission, Foundation of Alcohol and Research, Mt Barker Chicken, Rottnest Island Authority, Telethon Kids Institute, and Water Corporation.

She has grown from a green and eager Business Coordinator to a trusted and respected Business Manager, leading one of the largest clients in Perth.

After successfully pitching for the Lotterywest account in 2021, Di Pardo was selected by senior leaders to manage a product portfolio including Powerball, Set for Life, and Scratch’n’Win. This rare opportunity within the Perth market has enhanced her skills over the past two and a half years, allowing her to work across multiple products within an iconic WA brand. Transitioning from managing project–based clients to a single, blue–chip client required a unique skill set, with attention to detail, strategic planning, and relationship-building becoming even more crucial.Over the past two and a half years, she has managed several campaigns, notably Powerball’s recent game change and campaign platform. The new campaign platform stemmed from a need for a cultural reset, recognising that players now aspired not just to achieve wealth, but to redefine what it means to live like a millionaire. The bold, creative direction featured three characters liberating themselves from less enjoyable aspects of life, pushing both the client and product into new territory and reaping significant rewards.

Di Pardo played a pivotal role in developing the design identity and overseeing key components of the campaign rollout. This included managing over 500 above and below the line assets, overseeing the original composition of the campaign’s rap sound track, and handling the rollout of all potential jackpot iterations, all delivered on time and within budget.

In addition to supporting the agency through social club initiatives, Di Pardo is committed to creating opportunities of value in the wider industry. This is evident in her dedication to the creative industry through her work with Youngbloods WA, TEDxPerth, Plastic Ego and Plastic Jungle Art Markets.

“Rebecca Di Pardo has been a force of nature in 303ML since she joined us. Impressing early on, Rebecca quickly moved onto our most important client and delivers consistently for her clients and her team. And she’s a big contributor to the diverse and supportive culture at 303ML. Beyond her work in the agency, her work in the industry and her community is equally impressive. She’s constantly looking for ways to learn, grow and give back. Whether it’s her work on Youngbloods, volunteering with TEDxPerth or helping to stand up the Plastic Jungle Art Market in Fremantle last summer – she gives 100%. Throughout 2023, she continued to demonstrate she’s a passionate, reliable, meticulous, and inspiring member of the agency and industry – a talent well beyond her years.” Said René Migliore – Managing Director, 303 MullenLowe.

Also shortlisted for this award were:
Jessica Bacon – The Brand Agency
Joel Cook – Social Meteor
Hayden Garrard – Juicebox
Emily Hooper – VML
Sherridan Porter – Bonfire
Maddy Revere – VML
Alex Rose – Rare
Bradley Scott – Moonsail
Tia Sullivan – Initiative
Meg Watson – VML

For full coverage of winners and the finalists in all categories get the printed edition of the 44 page Campaign Brief Awards magazine. Email Mina on perth@campaignbrief.com