Dr Sinead Roarty announced as Chair of Judges for the 2025 PADC Skulls Awards

The Perth Advertising and Design Club (PADC) has announced that Dr. Sinead Roarty will serve as Chair of Judges for the 2025 Skulls Awards. Sinead is one of Australia’s most respected creative leaders, with a career spanning more than 20 years across the US, UK, Latin America, and APAC.

She has led global campaigns for brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Avon, L’Oréal, Subway, and Reckitt, and her work has been recognised with more than 80 international awards, including Grand Prix honours for the I Touch Myself Project, ranked among the most awarded campaigns in the world.

“It’s a total honour to be Chair,” reflected Sinead. “Sitting across all the jury rooms meant I could help ensure we were comparing apples with apples. What stood out most was the passion jurors brought to the debate—every room went over time because people cared so deeply about the work.”

With a PhD in Communications, postgraduate degrees in creative writing and design, and senior leadership roles including Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at MRM New York, Sinead brings a rare blend of academic rigour and creative vision.

And, as far as her judging credentials go, Sinead has judged on the world stage at Cannes Lions, CLIO, LIA, Gerety, and the New York Festivals, and is highly regarded both in Australia and internationally.

“Each year we set the bar high when looking for a Chair of Judges, so we were pinching ourselves when Sinead wholeheartedly came on board,” said PADC General Manager, Laura Vulling. “From day one she’s been incredibly hands-on, and we’re so proud of the rigour, integrity, and passion that’s gone into this year’s judging. Sinead is so highly respected both in Australia and globally—she’s exactly the kind of leader who makes the Skulls what they are.”

This year’s judging brought together 21 experts who completed three rounds of online scoring before converging in four specialist live discussions. As Chair, Sinead reviewed every entry and sat across all four rooms, ensuring consistency, fairness, and integrity throughout the process.

“Everyone wants a Skull because it’s the coolest trophy, but it’s really about celebrating WA creativity: the agencies, production partners, and especially the clients who push the work to make all of Australia proud,” said Sinead.

“Perth is about as far away as you can get, yet it punches above its weight. The constraints here have produced work that feels unexpected and irreverent. At a time when budgets are shrinking and AI is reshaping production, the level of craft on show this year was a total delight.”

The 2025 PADC Skulls Awards will take place on Friday 14th November at Perth Mess Hall, bringing together the creative community to celebrate the best work from WA and beyond.

PADC will also be launching an exciting new partnership with the City of Subiaco, who will be supporting the highly anticipated Chair of Judges event ahead of the Skulls Awards.