Julie Walker

What drives political will? Stories. And the stories we believe in, tell and share - they shape us. At SXSW Sydney this week Andrew Davies of B Lab Australia shared a powerful insight: business can evolve rapidly. In the ’60s, leaders prioritised lifetime employment; by the ’80s, it was mass layoffs for bottom line. This shows that paradigms can—and do—shift quickly. The idea that “business people don’t care about climate” is outdated. We are moving away from old stereotypes to tell complex and bolder stories. To begin normalising fresh business practices that are accountable to the planet. The key? Clear, sustained communication within our organisations to hold our businesses accountable. Shared voice creates new resolutions. And policy and governance naturally follows.

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🚨 A recent study found that 91% of Australian teens have a smartphone... yet many are unknowingly exposing their identity and location! We’re not just facing a tech issue here, it’s a literacy gap. Teens aren't fully grasping the privacy risks tied to location sharing and digital footprints. The "privacy paradox” is real, where individuals prioritise convenience over security, even when aware of the risks. Like climate change, it's not just down to the individual changing their habits but other somewhat "bigger" players in the game also contributing. Parents – are you guiding your kids on safe phone use? Schools and tech companies, where’s your role in fostering safer digital habits? The time for proactive education and collaboration is now. Let’s secure the future of our digitally connected youth! 🔐📱 #DigitalSafety #ParentingInTheDigitalAge #DigitalWellbeing #YoungLivesMatter #DigitalLiteracy https://lnkd.in/gNCkkZxp

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In Sydney today I presented to 160 marketers and media buyers explaining the scale of and outlook for regional Australia as a consumer market. I argued that Australians are lifestyle obsessed, that we are rich on a per capita basis, and that there is a millennial generation now in search of their forever home. Plus, we Australians have embraced WFH as it improves our quality of life by not having to commute. Some workers will return to the workplace but I think about 10 per cent or 1.4 million workers will continue to WFH. This opens up the near regions, places like the Gold Coast, Newcastle and Geelong to millennials looking for value in pursuit of their forever home. ABS data released last November shows a regional skew in the 25-49 demographic over the next 10 years which supports this narrative. Australians have pursued lifestyle via suburbia, via seachange and treechange, and now a new generation—the millennials—are putting their own twist on this Aussie theme. The new regional super consumer is a millennial in their early 40s redefining how to deliver workplace value from the idyllic confines of Australia’s near-regions. For more info contact Boomtown With thanks to Leanne Glamuzina (nee Gibb) and to Hari Hara Priya Kannan (for data).

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It’s not entirely surprising to see declining birth rates coincide with rising pet ownership. A recent article from Time Out shows that nearly half of Sydney suburbs now have more dogs than children. My first reaction? Excellent—everything’s better with more dogs. But when you dig deeper, it reflects a shift in how we think about nurturing, family, and even healthcare. For many millennial women, dogs are becoming the new children—for countless reasons. The uncertainty of climate change, a focus on career-building, and the long-overdue release from rigid gender expectations are all contributors. That’s not to say motherhood isn’t valued—it absolutely is, I have so much respect for mums. But we’re living in a time where there’s less societal pressure to follow that path, and it’s opening up space for different ways to experience love and care. Enter dogs. They give us a similar rush of nurturing, but with the flexibility of modern life. You can pour your heart into them, then leave them at home guilt-free when you’re meeting friends for a glass of wine—after walks, cuddles, and dinner, of course. This cultural shift has huge implications for the pet healthcare industry. Over the next decade, we’re likely to see a massive increase in demand for advanced pet care, but today’s infrastructure isn’t ready for it. That challenge, however, is also an incredible opportunity. A founder I have immense respect for said in an interview: “Opportunity is at the intersection.” The intersection here is clear—between our evolving relationship with pets and breakthroughs in science. So, while declining birth rates and more dogs might seem like separate stories, they’re deeply connected. At this crossroads, we have the chance to create better futures for our furry companions and, in the process, potentially push forward innovations in healthcare that benefit us all. 📰 Article below #Science #Opportunity #Innovation

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Legislating how kids use social media is one thing, but it feels we're missing the bigger picture. Here's my How Might We... How might we inspire families and tech companies to co-create safer digital spaces where children thrive, not just survive? Prime Minister Albanese's promise to set a minimum age for kids' access to social media sounds like a step in the right direction. But here’s the thing: laws alone won’t protect our children in the digital age. Yes, it’s the responsibility of tech companies to ensure their platforms are safe for kids, preventing their services from violating children’s rights or exposing them to harm. But we can’t stop there. It’s on the rest of us – parents, educators, communities – to step up and equip ourselves and our kids with the skills to navigate the digital world safely and confidently. Instead of just policing them, we should be active participants in their online lives, teaching them how to engage meaningfully and responsibly. And let’s not forget the most important voices in this discussion: the kids themselves. If we’re shaping their digital world, we must listen to their needs, concerns and ideas. It can't be us 'adults' dictating and tell them what they need simply to alleviate our own fears. My concern is that banning social media won't actually solve the issue and in effect could be a step back for children's rights. Let’s empower families to understand the risks, the rewards and how to engage meaningfully online. A 'safe digital environment' isn't built with just laws and restrictions. It’s built through awareness, education and shared experiences. #DigitalWellbeing #DigitalSafety #DigitalLiteracy #ChildSafety #ParentingInTheDigitalAge #ChildRights

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What an incredible start to SXSW Sydney! From how to #influence the un-influencable to leveraging #tech to build a more #resilient and democratic Australia, the topics and speakers were jam-packed with knowledge and wisdom. ⚡ Amanda McKenzie, Simon Holmes à Court, Tim Devine and Craig Reucassel answered the question “Can Australia be the energy superpower that saves the world?” ·     Australia is currently at 40% #renewable energy and is targeting 95% within 12 years ·     South Australia is year ahead of the rest of the country and is expecting to be net 100% renewables within 3 years ·     Exports impact heavily – while we’re only the 15th carbon emitter on our own, we’d be 5th if you account for our exports ·     The future of Australia as the energy superpower will include on-shoring energy intensive production, having the potential of an 8% global emissions reduction 📣 “Signals in the Noise: Why is #Cyber & #Data so Hard” was an energetic, fun and engaging session: ·     Lesley Seebeck pointed out that in a world of infinite information, it’s the questions that matter; and it’s not just about trust, but about trust-worthiness. ·     Victor Dominello shared that the single most powerful unit in a democracy is the individual, and therefore in order to strengthen democracy we need to give them more power and control over their data ·     Zoë Robinson called out that we need to focus on positive stories and use cases, and need to engage younger people in the discussion of #datasovereignty, #dataprivacy & #datasecurity. ·     Paul Rush advised transparency is key, and #humancentric consideration is essential. ·     Michelle Price shared many #truthbombs like 347 free apps creating deepfakes available today to download in the Appstore despite meeting all cyber regulations globally, and only 32 companies globally delivering #aisecurity 🤔 Rohit Bhargava generously took a crowded theatre through his 4 secrets of non-obvious thinking. 💪 Building a #Resilient & Democratic Australia leveraging Critical Technology: ·     We do tech well in Australia because we’re not constrained in the ways #bigtech countries are. ·     Government funds #innovation not just to enable more people to do fun things, rather because we have big problems to solve in a complex world. ·     One of our challenges in Australia is a culture of doubting things made here, and not believing in how good our ideas can be unless it’s endorsed overseas first. Kate Lundy Adrian Turner Dan Bennett William Crowe 📈 Felipe Thomaz shared insights into why sufficiency is not the only measure that matters in marketing and how to look at effectiveness as opposed to just reach. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

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The Commercial Communications Council / Effie Aotearoa Effectiveness Breakfast next Wednesday is sold out - but you can still join the live stream, which I'd suggest you definitely do if you're interested in marketing and advertising effectiveness in New Zealand. I'll be dropping a massive #effbomb - a huge new study on what types of advertising drive commercial effects and create Future Demand, enabled by the support of the Comms Council and Tracksuit. Are the social algorithms really any good at targeting? How does the size of the screen an ad is viewed on impact its effectiveness? How much of our budget should we spend on production? Is creative-award-winning work more effective? Does the quality of executional craft matter? Is it worth investing in celebrities? Is it worth investing in a great piece of music? Is purpose an effective strategy? Which is the better marketing metric - brand awareness or NPS? Expect answers. Data-driven, up-to-date, clear as day answers. See you there!

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Once in a while, it's good to stop and take a look at what you're doing from the outside in. Over the past fortnight, I've had the opportunity to chat with a number of great leaders who offered very different, yet relevant, perspectives on how to scale growth. 🤓 5 Things I learnt: 1️⃣ Brutal feedback is best served straight. If you want feedback, take it on the nose. Rounding off the edges disadvantages the recipient. I enjoyed the honesty. I have so many specific actions I can now take - ego be damned. 2️⃣ As the media continues to spin the narrative that there are more differences that fracture us, what drives growth in one market is more likely to work in other countries just as well. 3️⃣ Events and Linkedin are what buyers increasingly rely on to learn about solutions and influence decisions. 4️⃣ Niche down - get as specific on your target audience, problems and use cases as possible. We all can get lost in being as broad in our messaging to capture every eventuality. It serves to confuse, not clarify. 5️⃣ Successful leaders are generous with their time and insights. Giving back is a characteristic common to great execs. Thanks to Amanda Malko Udi Ledergor 🏳‍🌈 Stephanie Sall Bailey Cate Luzio Melanie Altarescu for your generosity! It's been beyond real. Time to get crackin'! 🔥

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Jump in and listen to Episode 638 of the Top Blokes Talking Tech podcast - this week: Microsoft pulls its AI feature Recall, when will we really get Apple Intelligence, Telstra giving out free phones and much, much more. Click on the Tech Guide link so you can listen and watch the show right now!!! #podcast

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Did you know, 43% of New Zealand's population is made up of GenZs and Millennials? They are your consumers, your customers, your staff, your investors, your creators, your supports and more. So, how are we supposed to create the future they want, if we don't have them at the table? This realisation was a defining moment for The Aotearoa Circle, and fellow board members, when we looked at our mission of restoring natural capital for future generations and realised we did not have enough 'future generation' voices contributing to the mahi. So we created the Rangatahi Advisory Panel (RAP)— a shadow board of under-30 professionals who review and contribute to the work at The Circle. If you would like to know more about the mahi, and the impact rangatahi perspectives have had (and could have for you and your business) join us on the 27th of August for a webinar where you can meet the RAP members, understand why we have this model, and discover how it could benefit your business. We will also have Lucie Drummond, Executive GM Sustainability at Mercury NZ will be joining us to tell us what corporates get from have a Rangatahi Advisory Panel. So, whether you’re a young person wanting to contribute more, or you’re from an organisation that wants to understand intergenerational mahi, I know this will be a very interesting discussion. Register here : https://lnkd.in/gAVNpiSs Bryn Wilson, Caleb Poe, Cameron Johnson, Hinera Parker, Maggie Powell Morgan Pepper, Tim Hodgson, Zoe Tilsley #intergenerational #sustainabledevelopment #diversity

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This is INSANE 🔥 news! Calling all Australian innovators - startups, scaleups, ecosystem enablers, operators, investors and corporate innovation leaders. We are thrilled to announce that Jumpstart Studio & Press Play Ventures are co-hosting the Australian Delegation to the world's most powerful tech event - CES - along with Capgemini! In January 2025, CES - the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50+ years and the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace, is coming back to Las Vegas . . . . and this time, Australian Innovators, you are invited 💌 Powered by the Consumer Technology Association, and with a social media reach of 28.5 BILLION in 2024, CES connects innovators, decision makers, media, influencers, visionaries, and potential customers across the entire tech ecosystem. This is where brands get business done, meet new partners and where the industry’s sharpest minds take the stage to unveil their latest releases and boldest breakthroughs. With 138,000+ attendees and 4,300+ exhibitors, this is the place to be if you want to: - Globally showcase your technology products - Stand side-by-side with the world's most disruptive innovators - Promote your brand through curated opportunities to connect with influencers and prospective partners This year, the event hosted some of the biggest household and industry brand names . . . like Amazon, Walmart, Microsoft, Lenovo, Best Buy, Costco, Siemens, Verizon, L'Oreal, Snap, Intel, Qualcomm, Belkin, Autodesk, Moderna, Hyundai, Pinterest, TikTok. . . . you name it. If you are looking to partner with any of them or looking to get a foot in the door to do business . . . .then this is where you should be next year. 42% attendees reported were from the B2B space and 20% in the B2C, with the biggest industries being AI, Vehicle Tech, IoT, Smart Homes, AR/VR, Robotics, Energy Tech, Advertising/Marketing, Digital Health, Cloud Computing, Fitness, Cybersecurity, AudioTech, Gaming, 3D Printing & Sustainability. In 2025, thanks to Chris H., Australian innovators and ecosystem enablers can access CES at a subsidised rate - this includes access to the show floors, 6-nights accommodation and exclusive closed-door meetings and events. More info here: https://lnkd.in/g-6b2n4u At Press Play Ventures and Jumpstart Studio we are keen to see more women founders and migrant founders become part of this trade mission. If you are or know a woman/migrant founder who would love to be part of the Australian Delegation to this global event, please nominate them here: https://lnkd.in/gd9WsegF Applications and nominations close on 26th October, and the delegation to Las Vegas will be from 6th-12th January 2025. Super excited to co-host this delegation and we can't wait to take Australia to the world ❤️ Dheeren Vélu Isaac Jeffries Poonam Advani Preethi Mohan Chris H. #entrepreneurship #startups #australia

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Some more great coverage off the back of the #GlobalSearchAwards win, this is in New Zealand from the Fairfax Media, The Southland Times & #ThePress Stuff, telling the story of Ben McIntyre's journey, teaming up with Dan Sim and taking the world by storm with Kia Ora Digital. One helluva story - congrats Ben, Dan, and the whole team. It's a privilege being part of this SEO 2.0 movement, where it's all about generating revenue from organic search for our eCommerce and SaaS clients worldwide. #EveryConversationIsGold #BuildingAnOrganicRevenueRocketShip #WaitUntilTheTechnologyIsReleasedForKeywordRevenueAnalysis

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At the Launch Vic Awards Nights, there was a lot of talk about the VC’s in our ecosystem, and quite a bit of mention of Angel Syndicates, but no mention of Venture Studios. In fact when people ask me what I do, I often have to explain what a Venture Studio is. So let me make the Venture Studio pitch. Firstly, what is a Venture Studio? Venture Studios give life to startups in two main ways. 1. Ideas are incubated and validated within the Venture Studio, once validated, the team finds the external resources/ people needed to bring the idea to life. 2. External founders brings ideas to Venture Studios, in which the Venture Studio provides services and resources to the founder in exchange for equity. So who is a Venture Studio good for? High Quality Founders, with scalable ideas: The success of a Venture Studio relies on the success of the startups they work with so naturally Venture Studios are looking for the highest quality founders / startups. Early stage founders who are missing a technical partner: During the early days of your startup, if you don’t have a technical partner, you generally require investment or you need to take significant financial risk to fund your MVP build. While most investors won’t want to invest until you have a functional MVP, this is the exact stage many Venture Studio’s like to play in. Why choose a Venture Studio over a development agency? Your developers will have skin in the game The app development process often goes wrong, because building apps is hard. If things go wrong, it’s easy for relationships to sour, and shortcuts to be made. Since Venture Studio’s success is so heavily tied into the success of their startups, by choosing a Venture Studio you have the peace of mind that your developers are so heavily incentivised to deliver an awesome product. Support beyond development Again because the success of the Venture Studios are so heavily tied to the success of the startup, it’s in the our best interest to ensure you are supported beyond your product build. So when it comes to GTM, capital raising and beyond, we aim to provide support and introductions where we. De-risk your financial position So this is the obvious benefit, get to launch without paying or paying a lot less. All of this is not to say, VC’s, Angel’s, Dev Shops all don’t play an important role in this ecosystem, I just feel the Venture Studio voice needs to be heard a bit louder.

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If you're a fan of "The Contrarians with Adam and Adir" Podcast, you'll be interest to know that I have received a lot of feedback saying the current episode was the best one so far. Agree? If you don't already listen and you like (a) business/money, (b) laughing, (c) learning, (d) video games, (e) books, (f) hearing friends argue, (g) random topics with a lot of tangents, (h) travel including frequent flyer stuff, (i) successful and inspiring guests, or (j) Adam Schwab, then I think you might like it. I'm sick of embedding links but I'm sure you can find it on whatever you use to listen to podcasts. And if you don't listen to podcasts at all, then I strongly encourage you to give one a try - just pick any topic you love and there will be something magical for you to enjoy. Spotify is a good platform, so is Apple, personally I use Overcast.

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“New Zealand groceries more expensive than Australia, Ireland and UK” - A recent Stuff NZ headline stopped me in my tracks, not because it was surprising, but because it overwhelmingly wasn't. Before getting too upset about the cost of living, I ran the findings against PocketSmith’s Household Spending Map to see what our user spending trends were telling us. And voila - those trends confirmed it: Kiwis really are paying more for their groceries than people in similar countries. Here's a snapshot of worldwide grocery spend in August 2024, reflected in native currencies: 🍏 Australia: $907 🥩 New Zealand: $928 🥦 United States: $680 🥛 Canada: $514 🌾 United Kingdom: £399 🍫 Ireland: €452 Personally, I now do my weekly shop online and have it delivered. It helps me meal plan more strategically and stick to what I actually need. Fewer top-up trips to the supermarket also means less fossicking in my favourite aisles for new products and treats. It’s been a tough change though, because the supermarket is my happy place! Friends and network around the world, has your basket of groceries become more expensive? How are you adapting to these price changes? #GlobalSpendingMap #ConsumerSpending #FinancialInsights #GroceryBudgeting #HouseholdExpenses ps: Curious about exploring more household expense trends? Explore our Global Spending Map here: https://lnkd.in/gjAz6YCq

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🚀 Preparing to launch a business? Our FREE Business Startup Checklist is here to guide you through some of the most important steps! From the essentials to branding and web design we've got you covered. Download it now and start your journey to success! 📈✨ #BusinessChecklist #StartupSuccess #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness #BusinessTips #Branding #WebDesign #BusinessLaunch #FreeDownload

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📣 Announcement 📣 If you are a Brisbane based leader and you want to take your leadership and the growth of your business to the next level…. Then this In-Person Executive Masterclass with Dave Clare is just what you need to propel you in to 2025!

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