On Thursday 30 April 2026, the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) Victorian State Committee hosted its Retail Marketing Forum at the ANZ Centre in Docklands, bringing together senior marketing leaders from some of Australia’s most recognised retail brands.

Jodi Murray-Freedman (Chief Marketing Officer, Bakers Delight), James Holloman (Chief Marketing Officer, David Jones) and Rennie Freer (General Manager, Marketing, Kmart and Target Australia) joined moderator Andrew Braun for a discussion spanning brand as a sustained competitive advantage, loyalty that drives behaviour, and the growing importance of connected experiences across channels.

Here are some key takeaways from the discussion that the audience shared:

🔵 Retail marketing is moving from campaigns to always on – Albert Yang
🔵 Strategy, data insights, loyalty, the importance of Brand Storytelling, all useful, but without operational consistency and rigour, they don’t land – Marnie Darren
🔵 Customers don’t always buy what’s better for them… they buy what feels right – Yasitha Liyanage
🔵 Large Aussie retailers are shifting from campaigns to always on, and what that looks like behind the scenes in a practical level. Plus, the speakers were already planning for 2028! 😮 – Kate Thompson
🔵 Three different brands. Three different challenges. Same underlying truth: the best marketing leaders stay close – to their strategy, to their customers, and to the people doing the work – Sofie O’Mara
🔵 The dynamic market, staying true to your core values, the contribution of a loyalty program and driving positive results / data focused culture – Kristie Atkins
🔵 A great afternoon exploring culture, brand and operating models in today’s marketing landscape – Justin Weller
🔵 A thrill to hear this remarkable panel of CMO’s at the recent Retail Marketing Forum in Melbourne – Kathryn Illy
🔵 Pleased the panel shared their insights on marketing, branding, brand loyalty, loyalty programs, and much more – Kosta Iatrou

Conversation extended beyond the panel, with members and guests connecting over lunch and continuing to exchange perspectives.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to a valuable and engaging session, including our fabulous panel: Rennie, James, Jodi, and moderator Andrew Braun.

We were also delighted to have our newly appointed Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) Acting CEO, Kathryn Illy, and Chair of the AMI Board, Kristie Atkins, in the room.

A big shout out to our event sponsor, Cuttable. Thanks to Jessie Kapiten and Ryan Gill.

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Keep up to date with the latest Victorian events from the Australian Marketing Institute VIC on their LinkedIn and Instagram (ami_vic_marketers) pages.

Australian Marketing Institute VIC Committee