Young Gun profiles takes a look at the young talent across the Australian advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector. Aiming to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry. Original article posted by AdNews.

Matthew Wallace, Sport Partnerships Director at OMD Create

Time in current role / time at the company:

For the past two years I have been working in a hybrid seconded Sport Partnerships role at OMD/Macca’s bringing to life all of our sponsorships.

How long have you been in the industry?

Seven years, all at OMD.

How did you get here? Was this always the plan?

As most people tell you, it was never the plan to end up in media. My original goal was to work in film/TV production but after completing an internship at OMD, I was offered a job and I took the opportunity to get my foot in the door. At OMD, we’re encouraged to follow our passions and are supported in having ‘squiggly careers’. I really enjoyed my first two years at OMD, but I was searching for something more creative, so that’s when I pursued a Sport Partnerships role within OMD Create. It’s been a great journey so far!

Who is your right-hand person / who guides you day-to-day?

Working across both OMD and Macca’s means I have access to great leaders on both sides, so I have to name two people – Aaron Miller (National Director of Sport Partnerships) and Amanda Nakad (Marketing Director, McDonald’s).

Aaron has played a pivotal role in my career and gave me the chance join him in the Sport Partnerships team at OMD five years ago. He’s been a fantastic mentor, supporting my development and growth. Aaron is someone who constantly challenges us with new ideas, fostering a high-performing team with a fun and hardworking culture.

On the Macca’s side, Amanda has been an incredible influence over the past couple of years. She’s given me great opportunities and valuable insights that have helped me expand my marketing skills far beyond media.

Both Aaron and Amanda have consistently had my back, and I can’t express enough gratitude for the guidance they’ve provided over the years. Disappointingly though, they’re both Paramatta Eels supporters.

What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?

It’s a collaborative fast-paced environment and every day we’re given new challenges and opportunities. We are afforded unique career experiences at OMD through the strong connections we have with our clients. Seconding within the Macca’s marketing team for the last two years has allowed me to learn new skills firsthand from leaders like Amanda. It’s helped me progress my career at OMD as my secondment experiences played a significant role in my selection for this year’s OMD’s Exec Next program. In this program, alongside other future OMD leaders, we get to work as an extension to OMD’s executive team for the next 12 months, collaborating on projects that will help shape the future of our agency.

And the biggest challenge?

The sponsorship environment is quite complex, it continues to fragment, and new players arrive every year. We’re in a battle for fans’ attention so we have to continuously evolve our strategies and content to ensure we’re cutting through and reaching them in meaningful ways.

Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?

The goal at the start of my career was to have a creative role within sport, so I feel quite lucky to be in the role I’m in now. As mentioned above, I was lucky enough to be accepted as part of OMD’s Exec Next program, working alongside our executive team, so who knows, maybe I’ll go after one of their jobs! Regardless, I enjoy the journey and I believe I’m on the right path, so wherever I am in five years, I’m sure it’ll be the right place for me.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

We have a lot of amazing leaders at OMD so it’s easy to be inspired. I consume a lot of content in my role, so I take inspiration from other places as well – people, sport, music, films, TV, podcasts, other brands. I’m always on the lookout for the next idea.

Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you:

I made a mockumentary style film with my brother and a few mates a couple of years ago, it’s only been seen by a handful of people. A few OMDers caught wind of it, and they’ve been trying to get me to premiere it ever since. Maybe one day…

In five years’ time I’ll be…

Hopefully still doing what I love.