Hear from Australia & New Zealand advertising standards & understand greenwashing as it applies to industry. Finally, a discussion on navigating advertising & IP in the Food & Beverage Industry.

Presenters

Tony Eades, Chief Strategy Officer, Salted Stone
Tony is a Brand Futurist working in the area of customer experience, innovative technology and digital disruption. He assists growing companies to become market leaders through creative brand strategy, brand experience and digital solutions across multiple platforms. He is passionate about future proofing brands – from start-ups to corporates, helping them engage with an ever changing market of consumers. He writes for a number of publications including Sydney Morning Herald on the subject of brand strategy and has been the Brand Experience Expert for Kochie’s Business Builders - a national business TV show which airs to an audience of 3 million and a weekly blog which is sent to over 100,000 small businesses across Australia. He is also an international keynote speaker, regularly speaking at events across Australia, Asia and the US, immediate past National President of Professional Speakers Australia and the Chief Strategy Officer at Salted Stone, a global award-winning digital marketing agency of over 80 with offices in Sydney, Perth, Cebu, LA and Dublin.


Ms. Georgina Rigoni, Senior Corporate Counsel, Nestlé
Georgina Rigoni is a leading food law specialist, with over 20 years’ experience in some of the world’s leading FMCG companies. Currently at Nestlé, Georgina has previously worked in Unilever in Australia, South Africa and the Singapore regional business and at Goodman Fielder. Georgina holds a Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Intellectual Property Law.


Ms. Megan McEwin, Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Australian Association of National Advertisers
As the Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), Megan works with the major food and beverage brands in Australia to develop advertising codes that ensure food and beverage advertising continues to meet community requirements and expectations. With over 20 years’ experience in the regulatory and self-regulatory sectors, Megan started her career with the ACCC before moving to the industry self-regulatory sector with AMP, Optus and later INMS, the telecommunications self-regulatory number allocation and porting system. Megan holds a Bachelor of Law.


Ms. Odette Gourley, Partner, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Odette is one of Australia’s foremost intellectual property and regulatory lawyers with special knowledge and experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Odette is an expert across the full range of IP including patents, trade marks, copyright, registered designs and trade secrets. In regulatory and advertising and marketing law her expertise include the Competition and Consumer Act, regulation for TGA, PBS, NHA, APVMA, AICIS, FSANZ, Gene Technology, Biosecurity, cosmetics, FOI including industry ethical and advertising codes for a wide range of products. Odette has acted in notable cases that have changed the law. In patents, Odette acted for AstraZeneca (Hassle) in successfully defending the validity of a drug formulation patent and that case is now a leading authority on the standard for obviousness under Australian law. In administrative law, the decision in the Roche case on scheduling of over the counter medicines resulted in revision of the statutory provisions. In trademarks, Odette acted for Gallo in the High Court, now the leading authority on the nature of trade mark use, and for Winnebago in the Federal Court recovering the brand for the American owner after 30 years of unauthorised use. The Winnebago case established the principle of user pays damages for IP infringement under Australian law which are recoverable even where damages on a lost sales basis are not available nor an account of profits. In the Johnson & Johnson v Unilever case in the Federal Court, Odette successfully defended the methodology adopted for consumer in use testing to support comparative advertising claims. With her deep experience in all aspects of IP, regulatory and advertising and marketing law, Odette is able to provide illuminating insights in relation to recent developments and future trends.


Ms. Alison Jones, Special Counsel, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Kasey McPherson is the General Counsel for Suntory Oceania, where she plays a critical role in overseeing and enhancing Suntory Oceania in-house legal and compliance functions. Drawing from her extensive legal background within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, Kasey takes the lead in shaping Suntory Oceania’s legal strategy, managing litigation matters, and strategically mitigating risks and demonstrating how legal support creates business value. She is a highly regarded member of both the Oceania Executive Leadership Team and the Suntory Beverage & FoodAPAC Legal Leadership Team. Kasey's diverse legal career spans across New Zealand, the UK, and Australia, where she has collaborated with industry-leading companies such as Diageo, Britvic and Coca-Cola European Partners. A native Kiwi, her local perspective and global experience bring a distinctive dimension to Suntory Oceania’s legal operations.


Ms. Hilary Souter, Chief Executive, NZ Advertising Standards Authority
Hilary Souter is the Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority and has worked in the wider media industry on a range of issues to support responsible advertising for over 25 years. She manages code reviews for advertising for children and young people, alcohol, finance, gambling and therapeutic and health advertising, and runs the secretariat that annually processes over 1500 enquiries and complaints. Hilary is a guest lecturer on advertising standards at New Zealand universities and gives regular presentations to both domestic and international audiences on the value of advertising self-regulation.


Ms. Kasey McPherson, General Counsel, Frucor Suntory
Kasey McPherson is the General Counsel for Suntory Oceania, where she plays a critical role in overseeing and enhancing Suntory Oceania in-house legal and compliance functions. Drawing from her extensive legal background within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, Kasey takes the lead in shaping Suntory Oceania’s legal strategy, managing litigation matters, and strategically mitigating risks and demonstrating how legal support creates business value. She is a highly regarded member of both the Oceania Executive Leadership Team and the Suntory Beverage & FoodAPAC Legal Leadership Team. Kasey's diverse legal career spans across New Zealand, the UK, and Australia, where she has collaborated with industry-leading companies such as Diageo, Britvic and Coca-Cola European Partners. A native Kiwi, her local perspective and global experience bring a distinctive dimension to Suntory Oceania’s legal operations.


Ms. Clare Nass, Senior Group Counsel Asia Pacific, George Weston Foods
Clare is a Senior Legal Counsel with one of Australia’s biggest food and beverage companies, George Weston Foods which is a subsidiary of the UK listed company, Associated British Foods. The group includes well known brands such as Tip Top, Twinings, DON, Pataks, Ryvita, Yumi’s, among many others. Clare has been working in FMCG for the last 10 years and prior to that honed her legal skills working in house at a large advertising company. Her current role covers both commercial advice in Australia and New Zealand as well as supporting the groups business across the Asia Pacific region on matters relating to intellectual property and information technology.