axrrecruitment

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: March 2026

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:23:50 GMT

Welcome to the March 2026 edition of the [axr] Sales & Marketing Collective

Welcome to the March 2026 edition of the Sales & Marketing Collective , our monthly wrap‑up of the most interesting career moves across Australia’s FMCG and consumer sectors.

March saw a small number of significant appointments at the senior leadership level alongside increased movement across sales, marketing, and category roles. Brand and digital leaders are increasingly stepping into broader transformation remits, while sales talent continues to flow across grocery, petcare, liquor and emerging channels. As always, if any of these moves spark ideas for your next hire - or your next move - we’d love to connect.

Congratulations to everyone starting new moves.

Senior Appointments

Michael Tolhurst departs Sorbent Paper Company , where he was GM – Sales, to take on the role of Commercial Manager – ANZ at Smurfit Westrock.

Nora‑Kate O’Connell moves on from KFC, stepping out of her CMO – North Asia role to become Chief Marketing Officer at Pizza Hut (Flynn Group ANZ).

Clare Smeaton transitions from her position as Investment Director, Real Assets to take up the role of General Manager – Strategy and Growth at Inghams Group Limited.

Greer Smyth departs JDE Peet’s, where she was Marketing Activation Specialist, to join Real Pet Food as Assistant Brand Manager.

Christine Le Maitre leaves iNova Pharmaceuticals, stepping out of her Head of Marketing role to become Marketing Manager – Health at McPherson’s Consumer Products.

Taylah Ide‑Miller moves from Hartmann Group, where she was Product Manager, to join SharkNinja as Product Specialist.

Kevin Lo exits SFI Health, departing his Global Digital Content Manager role to join Blackmores as Bioceuticals Digital Marketing Manager.

Samantha Samarawickrama transitions from Primo Foods, where she was Brand Manager, to My Muscle Chef as Senior Brand Manager .

Francesca Cissell leaves Macquarie Group , where she was Head of Marketing, Consumer & Lending , to join SMEG as Head of Marketing .

Alexandra Khmelevskaya moves on from Procter & Gamble , leaving her eCommerce Lead – Woolworths role to join Diageo as Regional Customer Marketing Manager .

Alison Hinkson departs Lion , where she held the role of Group Data & Strategic Intelligence Director , to join Landor as Executive Director – Brand Performance .

Anna Webster leaves BWS , stepping away from her Head of Growth & Retention position to become Head of Digital & Omnichannel at Vinarchy .

Karen Todd transitions from GWF , where she was Brand Manager , to join Homart Wellness in the same role.

Ryan Guthrie moves from Goodman Fielder , departing his Marketing Manager – Premium position to take up the role of Marketing Director – ANZ at Kerry .

Annelie Pennock exits Reckitt , where she was Category Marketing Manager – Germ Protection & Personal Care , to join ZURU Edge as Global Marketing Director – Baby .

Sales Appointments

Anishka Tewari leaves Scholl , where she was National Account Manager, to join Real Pet Food as Senior National Account Manager.

Vincent Chircop moves from Simplot Australia, departing his National Account Manager – Woolworths role to become National Account Manager – Grocery at DKSH.

Mo Haque exits Asahi Beverages, where he was National Account Manager, to join The Cordina Group as National Business Manager.

Bryn Randall departs Kreglinger Wine Estates as National Sales Manager to become Head of Sales at Capital Brewing Co.

Brad Longbottom leaves Real Pet Food Company, stepping away from his National Account Manager role to join Antinol® UK as Commercial Manager – Australia.

Ashley Field moves on from PFD Food Services Pty Ltd , where he was National Account Manager , to join Red Bull as National Account Manager – Distributor Partners .

Jimena Cardenas transitions from Procter & Gamble , leaving her Senior Category Development Manager role to take on a National Account Manager position at ZURU Edge .

Brenton Gillies departs Fonterra , where he was Field Sales Manager – Victoria , to become State Field Sales Manager – Victoria at Lactalis‑Mainland Dairy .

Bradley Thumm leaves De Bortoli Wines as Field Sales Leader – Queensland to join Campari Group as Field Sales Manager (QLD / NSW) .

Rachael Frost exits Bayer Australia , stepping out of her eCommerce Experience Manager role to join McPherson’s Consumer Products as Omnichannel Manager – eCommerce .

Jarrad Linke moves on from The a2 Milk Company , where he was Senior National Account Manager , to become Head of Sales at GYM BOD .

Hannah Thorne leaves Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions , departing her Commercial Strategy Manager role to take up the position of National Business Manager – Woolworths at McCain Foods .

Charlotte Cain transitions from Shine+ Drink , where she was Head of Sales , to join Blackmores Group as National Account Manager – Woolworths .

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

Mairead McElvanna leaves Lion, stepping out of her Strategic Intelligence & Insights Manager role to join Quantium as Senior Insights Consultant.

Anna Barclay transitions from Real Pet Food Company, where she was Demand Planner, to Suntory Oceania as Senior Demand Planner.

Todd Spencer moves on from Kraft Heinz, leaving his Finance Manager role to join Scalene as Team Lead – Pricing and Promotions.

Angela L departs Kimberly‑Clark, where she was Senior Category Development Manager – Adult & Period Care, to join The Arnott’s Group as Shopper Insight & Portfolio Strategy Manager.

Michelle Delacorn leaves Carman’s Kitchen, stepping away from her Head of Operations role to become IBP Manager at Pure Dairy.

Jessica Atkins transitions from Kinrise, where she was Category & Consumer Insights Manager, to join Fonterra as Category Manager – Chilled Spreads .

If you’re looking to build your career or your team, reach out.

Thanks,

Andrew Cannock

Director – Sales & Marketing

[axr] Recruitment & Search

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: February 2026

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:36:31 GMT

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the [axr] Sales & Marketing Collective

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the Sales & Marketing Collective , our monthly wrapup of the career moves we’ve found most interesting across Australia’s FMCG and adjacent consumer sectors.

This month was heavily weighted toward marketing and commercial leadership , with senior moves into GM and CEO roles, alongside a deep bench of brand, customer marketing and category talent stepping into growth mandates.

Sales leaders continued to pivot across grocery, onpremise and emerging channels, while category specialists leaned further into revenue and retail media adjacencies. If any of these moves spark ideas for your next hire - or your next step - we’d love to talk.

Senior Appointments

Troy Ackerman leaves AAT Kings (TTC) , where he was General Manager of Sales & Revenue , to become General Manager ANZ at Total Holiday Options .

Seb Brandt moves on from his role as Chief Commercial Officer at Vow to step into the Group Chief Executive Officer position at White Prince Mushrooms .

Belinda Davis leaves SunRice Group , stepping out of her Marketing Director – Convenience & Snacks role to join PharmaCare as Marketing Manager .

Megan Ranger departs Noot Drinks Co , where she was Head of Brand , to become Marketing Manager at Mark Anthony Brands .

Jenny Wilmott moves within the drinks world, exiting Pernod Ricard as Senior Activation Manager OnPremise to join Diageo as Senior Customer Marketing Manager .

Charles Constantinou transitions from Seven Network , where he was Digital Acquisition Lead , to Paramount ANZ as National Growth Marketing Manager .

Kirsty Harding leaves Lion , stepping away from her Ventures Director role to become Research Strategy Director at Ideally .

Rachel Druce exits Chatime Australia , where she was National Marketing Manager , to join St Vincent de Paul Society as Marketing Manager .

Anthony Alvernes moves from Autosports Group , where he was Group Marketing Manager , to become Head of Marketing at Avis Budget Group .

Celia Ho transitions from AAT Kings (TTC) as Digital Marketing Manager to Hong Kong Tourist Board as Assistant Marketing Manager .

Martin van der Steele departs Good Drinks Australia , where he was Customer Marketing Manager , to join Spirits Platform with the same title.

Campbell McKinlay leaves his Assistant Brand Manager role at PharmaCare to become Assistant Brand Manager at Primo Foods .

Kelisha Govender moves on from Beiersdorf , where she was Senior Brand Manager , to join Lion as Brand Manager .

Natalie Schuster exits Stuart Alexander , stepping out of her Senior Brand Manager – Biscoff role to become Marketing Manager at Natural Raw C .

Laura Speziale transitions from James Hardie , where she was Brand Manager , to Velux in the same title.

Dijana Fodor moves from LUXASIA , where she was Brand Manager – Fragrance , to become Marketing Manager – Luxury Fragrance at The Estée Lauder Companies .

Trish Bywater departs Integria Healthcare , leaving her Senior Brand Manager post to take on the same title at Selley’s Group .

Sales Appointments

Matt O'Brien departs Sorbent Paper Co where he was Senior National Account Manager , to become Head of Customer – Grocery ANZ at Nando’s ANZ .

Emma Matthew exits Mutti , leaving her Senior National Account Manager role to join Diageo as Customer Business Manager for Endeavour .

Caterina De Filippo moves from Reckitt , where she was National Account Manager , to take on the Senior National Account Manager – Amazon remit at Energizer .

Paul Wagner leaves Penfolds , stepping away from his role as National Account Manager, Retail & On Premise , to join Sazerac as National On-Premise Groups Manager .

Ben Jackson moves out of FMCG from Chobani , where he was National Business Manager – Woolworths & Costco , to become Sales Leader ANZ – Bunnings at ITW Construction Services .

Samantha Corrigan makes a cross-funtional move out of Jack Link’s , leaving her role as Innovation Manager to become National Business Manager at iSoft .

Giselle Barrero moves on from Baiada Poultry , where she served as National Business Manager – Retail & Category , to join Groupe SEB as Business Manager SDA .

Isaac Baker departs Congo Brands , where he was National Account Manager – APAC , to become National Account Manager at Tribeca Brands – Kamikaze Energy .

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

Thomas Laban leaves Mondelez , where he was National Account Manager – Woolworths , to join The Arnott’s Group as Category Development Lead .

Cheryl van den Bovencamp exits Haleon , stepping out of her role as Senior Customer Development Lead – Woolworths & Coles , to become Category Development & Marketing Manager , also at The Arnott’s Group .

Claire Kim transitions from Quantium , where she was Lead Consultant – FMCG , to join Cartology as Head of Intelligence & Effectiveness .

Hayley Cameron moves on from Good Drinks Australia , where she was Head of Retail – National Chains , to rejoin Red Bull as Head of Revenue Growth Management at Red Bull .

If you’re looking to build your career, team or want insight into the market, reach out to one of the team at [axr] Recruitment & Search

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: February 2026

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 03:46:13 GMT

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the [axr] Sales & Marketing Collective.

Senior Appointments

Troy Ackerman leaves AAT Kings (TTC), where he was General Manager of Sales & Revenue, to become General Manager ANZ at Total Holiday Options.

Seb Brandt moves on from his role as Chief Commercial Officer at Vow to step into the Group Chief Executive Officer position at White Prince Mushrooms.

Belinda Davis leaves SunRice Group, stepping out of her Marketing Director – Convenience & Snacks role to join PharmaCare as Marketing Manager.

Megan Ranger departs Noot Drinks Co, where she was Head of Brand, to become Marketing Manager at Mark Anthony Brands.

Jenny Wilmott moves within the drinks world, exiting Pernod Ricard as Senior Activation Manager OnPremise to join Diageo as Senior Customer Marketing Manager.

Charles Constantinou transitions from Seven Network, where he was Digital Acquisition Lead, to Paramount ANZ as National Growth Marketing Manager.

Kirsty Harding leaves Lion, stepping away from her Ventures Director role to become Research Strategy Director at Ideally.

Rachel Druce exits Chatime Australia, where she was National Marketing Manager, to join St Vincent de Paul Society as Marketing Manager.

Anthony Alvernes moves from Autosports Group, where he was Group Marketing Manager, to become Head of Marketing at Avis Budget Group.

Celia Ho transitions from AAT Kings (TTC) as Digital Marketing Manager to Hong Kong Tourist Board as Assistant Marketing Manager.

Martin van der Steele departs Good Drinks Australia, where he was Customer Marketing Manager, to join Spirits Platform with the same title.

Campbell McKinlay leaves his Assistant Brand Manager role at PharmaCare to become Assistant Brand Manager at Primo Foods.

Kelisha Govender moves on from Beiersdorf, where she was Senior Brand Manager, to join Lion as Brand Manager.

Natalie Schuster exits Stuart Alexander, stepping out of her Senior Brand Manager – Biscoff role to become Marketing Manager at Natural Raw C.

Laura Speziale transitions from James Hardie, where she was Brand Manager, to Velux in the same title.

Dijana Fodor moves from LUXASIA, where she was Brand Manager – Fragrance, to become Marketing Manager – Luxury Fragrance at The Estée Lauder Companies.

Trish Bywater departs Integria Healthcare, leaving her Senior Brand Manager post to take on the same title at Selley’s Group.

Sales Appointments

Matt O'Brien departs Sorbent Paper Co where he was Senior National Account Manager, to become Head of Customer – Grocery ANZ at Nando’s ANZ.

Emma Matthew exits Mutti, leaving her Senior National Account Manager role to join Diageo as Customer Business Manager for Endeavour.

Caterina De Filippo moves from Reckitt, where she was National Account Manager, to take on the Senior National Account Manager – Amazon remit at Energizer.

Paul Wagner leaves Penfolds, stepping away from his role as National Account Manager, Retail & On Premise, to join Sazerac as National On-Premise Groups Manager.

Ben Jackson moves out of FMCG from Chobani, where he was National Business Manager – Woolworths & Costco, to become Sales Leader ANZ – Bunnings at ITW Construction Services.

Samantha Corrigan makes a cross-funtional move out of Jack Link’s, leaving her role as Innovation Manager to become National Business Manager at iSoft.

Giselle Barrero moves on from Baiada Poultry, where she served as National Business Manager – Retail & Category, to join Groupe SEB as Business Manager SDA.

Isaac Baker departs Congo Brands, where he was National Account Manager – APAC, to become National Account Manager at Tribeca Brands – Kamikaze Energy.

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

Thomas Laban leaves Mondelez, where he was National Account Manager – Woolworths, to join The Arnott’s Group as Category Development Lead.

Cheryl van den Bovencamp exits Haleon, stepping out of her role as Senior Customer Development Lead – Woolworths & Coles, to become Category Development & Marketing Manager, also at The Arnott’s Group.

Claire Kim transitions from Quantium, where she was Lead Consultant – FMCG, to join Cartology as Head of Intelligence & Effectiveness.

Hayley Cameron moves on from Good Drinks Australia, where she was Head of Retail – National Chains, to rejoin Red Bull as Head of Revenue Growth Management at Red Bull.

If you’re looking to build your career, team or want insight into the market, reach out to one of the team at [axr] Recruitment & Search

HOW TO GUIDE: Getting Yourself Interview Fit

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:51:07 GMT

GETTING YOURSELF INTERVIEW FIT

Prepared by:

The specialist recruitment

consultants at [axr]

Recruitment & Search

GETTING YOURSELF INTERVIEW FIT

THE INTERVIEW STRUCTURE

As recruiters, we interview a lot of people and have seen it all! There’s the average candidates who interview well and the great candidates who interview poorly. Our purpose at [ axr ] is to help you make great career decisions, to get the most out of your career journey. But, if you’re not prepared to have a career conversation and how to land your narrative authentically, then you’re leaving too much up to chance. Being “interview fit” means you can focus on making a great decision about a business and a role and not having to worry about how well you’ve interviewed. This [axr] guide will give you the toolkit you need to get yourself interview fit

THE INTRO

The ‘intro’ is where you create the right platform for the rest of the interview. Once you’ve had a little bit of small-talk, you will normally be asked an “easy” opener to kick things off, such as: Tell me about yourself? Walk me through your resume… Give me a summary of your career… The Intro While they might sound like simple enough questions, almost everyone struggles with this part. Where do you start? Where do you stop? How much do you need to say? Is it a chance to pitch yourself? The most common mistake people make is to get lost in a long monologue. Use the intro as an opportunity to land your 5-minute career narrative.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

It’s an authentic story about you and the decisions you’ve made in your career to get to where you are today.
Don’t talk about your roles in detail or your achievements, you’ll have time to do that
later.
Focus on the bits in-between, every career is a mix of planned steps, reactive decisions, mistakes and opportunities;
what’s your journey? Your career and your life are intermingled, weave in the “life-stuff” that has influenced your decisions. That makes it personal and memorable, it creates social capital with the interviewer.
Finish on your future career goals and why this role fits with your plan.

YOUR STRENGTHS & DEVELOPMENT AREAS

This section also seems easy, however it’s multi layered and many struggle to accurately articulate their own strengths and weaknesses.

This is known as the ‘self awareness’ part of the interview. How well do you know yourself? Are you open to feedback? Are you prepared to show some vulnerability? Do you demonstrate empathy?

In an interview, these questions can be asked in many different ways. Examples include:

Describe what you’ll bring to the role.
Summarise your strengths and development areas.
What do you show up with every day?

STRENGTHS

These can be a combination of both technical and leadership skills. If you’re in a leadership role, be prepared to talk to both. It’s always good to clarify with the interviewer if they’d like examples of each.

Limit yourself to 3 strengths.
Describe them as features and benefits, that gives context to what you bring in terms that the interviewer will remember.
Use super-mini examples as benefits, it makes them real.

WEAKNESSES

This is one of the most important sections of any interview! Ideally, you should be able to describe both a technical development area that you can address with more experience or training, along with a leadership /personal development area.

Don’t fall in the trap of picking a meaningless example that you think will deflect the conversation back to your strengths – you need to show some courage and vulnerability interviewers will see straight through your attempt to slide in a strength as a weakness. We suggest the following structure:

Describe the development area.

Explain how you know about it (how and when you’ve received feedback).
Why is it relevant to the performance in your role (if left unmitigated, how is your performance impacted)?
What are you doing about it (how do you mitigate impact – it can be hard to “fix” a natural weakness, but you need to demonstrate how you are working to address it).

COMPETENCIES: WHERE EXPERIENCE & SKILL COME TOGETHER

We all have experience which enables us to develop skills. Competence determines how capable you are at bringing your experience and skills together. Competency questions let the interviewer assess how capable you are relative to other candidates by comparing actual examples of what you’ve done in your career. They’re common at all levels in recruitment, sometimes called behavioural or situational questions. The more senior the role, the higher the expectation on the quality, depth and impact of your answer, but each will follow the same flow. It’s important that you

CAN RECOGNISE WHEN A COMPETENCY QUESTION IS BEING ASKED

Some interviews are clearly structured, while some are chaotic, however, most will be somewhere in the middle. You will need to be able to recognise the trigger for a competency questions, such as: tell me about a time, describe a situation, give me an example of, demonstrate your experience in…

UNDERSTAND WHAT COMPETENCY IS BEING ASSESSED

Sometimes the interview will clearly signpost a competence, (Stakeholder Alignment, Innovation, People Development, etc.), and describe the importance to the role, and sometimes it’ll be asked randomly, without definition. If in any doubt, pause and clarify what the interviewer is asking. This is important, it will be seen positively, and it will stop you answering the wrong question, even unwittingly.

CAN COMPETENTLY ANSWER THE QUESTION

You have probably heard of STAR questions: Situation, Task, Action, Result. An even easier flow is CAR: Context, Action, Result. Both of these techniques will help you to build a structure to your examples/answers. Allow 3-5 minutes for each answer.

Context – describe the problem or challenge you were faced with. Give detail, cover the complexity, stakeholders, KPIs and issues.
Action – step through the detail of the 3 most important things you did and why you chose these actions.
Result – this is the least important part so don’t jump here too quickly, but layer it all back to context and any KPIs, then finish with your learnings.

PREPARE AND PRACTISE YOUR RESPONSES PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW

Reflect on your achievements over the past few years, build out the detail of each against CAR and have a group of 4-6 pre-prepared answers in your back pocket, ready to go. If you have CAR locked in, you’ll then be able to mould your examples to any question. Life is not as boxed off as achievement A = competency 1, you will have to think a little on your feet, but with preparation and practice, you’ll nail it!

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

At the end of most interviews, you will be asked if you have any questions. This not out of politeness, it’s another part of the interview that you need to be prepared for. A candidate who has no questions is a big disappointment for any interviewer. Remember to give context to your question to demonstrate to the interviewer the depth of preparation you’ve done and how seriously you're considering the business.

Research and preparation

Organisation

Remember, you are joining an organisation, not a job. Do you know the journey of the company, where it’s come from and going to? Look at the ownership structure, results, annual report, strategic goals. What sort of culture does the company have? Who do you know who works there? Does the recruiter/HR have a Candidate Pack or Briefing document? Are you looking for organisational familiarity, or a new experience? How much change do you want? Given the similarities amongst multinational companies, big change generally comes from size and ownership structure not necessarily product or service.

Leadership

Who will your boss be? Are you meeting them? What is the structure, where does this role fit? Can your new boss articulate the purpose of the business in a way that that is appealing to you?

Role & Career

Ensure you know the role you’re interviewing for. Have you been given a position description? Don’t be afraid to ask for one. Make an honest assessment of what you bring, relevant to the role and where the gaps are. Does the role broaden or narrow your career path? What will you do next? Can you do that in this business?

Remuneration

Do you know what the remuneration structure is and what the growth potential is? What did the business pay in STI/bonus last year? Do you know the market rate? You do not want your REM to be too low or too high

ABOUT AXR

We’re a proudly Australian specialist recruitment consultancy established in 2003. We've built a team of experienced and passionate specialist recruitment consultants who are inspired by the impact exceptional recruitment has on careers and teams.

We see things a little differently at [axr]. Our mission is to prepare people to have better career conversations, to make great career decisions, to enable individuals and organisations to get the best return out of their relationship. This philosophy and approach helps professionals to have strategic career conversations which means better retention of high-potential talent, the right level of staff-turnover and optimised staff attraction and recruitment.

We achieve this by creating pathways between future and current leaders. We have an active talent network who engage with our career incubator programs: The CFO Incubator, Finance to Leadership Incubator, our career podcasts, Your Future in Sales & Marketing, and From Go to CFO to help to build this pathway and, ultimately, create better careers and teams.

At [axr], we focus on building careers not jobs, teams not hires, because if it matters to you, it matters to us.

It’s your career , not a job

It’s your team , not a hire

If it matters to you , it matters to us .

Contact us today for a CAREER CONVERSATION .

Get your copy now!

HOW TO GUIDE: How To Build And Activate Your LinkedIn Profile

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:51:05 GMT

How to Build and Activate Your LinkedIn Profile

If you build it... they wont come!

Build your LinkedIn Profile

Consider this: you’ve worked hard on crafting your LinkedIn profile. Then, you sit back and wait. Surely, the world will beat a path to your door, right? Unfortunately, this is often not the case. While, Australia is the most active country in the LinkedIn world, the platform will do little for you, unless you systematically activate it and put consistent effort in to building and growing your professional network.

This guide will give you a plan to build and activate your profile, to enable you to get the most out of LinkedIn, following a three step process:

Build your profile & define your value proposition
Build your network
Activate your profile

UPLOAD A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO

It should be a recent photo of you, your face should take up 60% of the photo, wear what you would normally wear to work, and don’t forget to smile!

ADD A BACKGROUND PHOTO

This will grab people’s attention. It can be an image or logo, but it needs to reflect you.

MAKE YOUR HEADLINE MORE THAN A JOB TITLE

This should say, in your words, what it is you do. Job titles are mostly boring and don’t differentiate yourself from your competitors. Make it unique to you.

TURN YOUR SUMMARY INTO A STORY

Make sure you have a summary, and don’t simply list skills, bring to life your own elevator pitch!

EXPERIENCE IS A RESUME SUMMARY

Explain what your current company does, your role there and what impact you’ve had, in that order. Repeat for the previous role with increasing brevity the further you go back in time.

EDUCATION, SKILLS, RECOMMENDATIONS

Yes, yes and yes! Do not skip over these sections, they do matter.

Work out what your value proposition is – what do you want to be known for? Your content needs to reflect that.
Avoid buzz words, write as you would talk normally.
Share media and marketing collateral in your profile that reflects your proposition and passion

Build your network

The next step is to build your network. There is no point in having a great profile if you’re only connected to your own business, friends and family!

Your network is your target market, the people and businesses that you’re positioning your personal brand with.

So how do you build your professional network?

Top tips

How many contacts should you have?

You need a minimum of 500 contacts for LinkedIn to work effectively for you, ideally you should aim for around 2000. Our recruitment consultants all have 5,000+. While this seems like a lot, it reflects a fully networked market in a single niche function in Sydney.

What organisations should you connect with?

We recommend making a list of the organisations that interest you along with the job titles at your level. Search by company and by job title and then start sending out invites to connect.

How do you reach out to people?

Personalise your invite - you will double your acceptance rate if you add a note. We recommend using a template that you can cut and paste (save it in Outlook as a draft for ease) – you have 300 characters t make your mark, which is plenty! It is important to be aware that LinkedIn has a limit of 100 contact requests per week.

Do you need to regularly follow up with your connections?

Follow up each new contact with a thank you. Again, it makes it easier to use a pre prepared template for this. If you spend 20-30 mins a day on this, your network will grow very quickly. If you send 100 invites per week and get a 60% acceptance rate, you will have 1,000 new contacts in 4 months.

Activate your profile

So, now that you have a great LinkedIn profile and you’re committing time, daily, to building out your network, what happens next?

The LinkedIn algorithms push the most active participant (that’s a deliberate choice of word), to the top of their network’s home feed. Why does that matter? If you are near the top of a home feed it means the people you are hoping to reach, will see you and your activity more often. That means you’re building your profile. So, how do you do that?

It doesn’t mean spending all your time writing longform blogs and creating great video content. If you have the time, by all means, do that, but the fastest way to get noticed is to repurpose what’s already on LinkedIn.

Follow this plan every day to expand your reach:

Like and comment on 5 pieces of content. A comment boosts your profile in equal measure to a post with fresh content.
The more you like and comment on content, the more LinkedIn will serve up similar content to you, so keep on-brand.
Share 1 piece of content. Make sure it’s relevant to you, your role and the industry or organisations you’re looking to reach / connect with.
Comments are boosted by the algorithms if you pose a question or @one or more of your contacts in the comment. For example, @name, what do you think of this?

If you need help building your LinkedIn profile or you’re looking to make your next career move, contact the team at [axr] today.

About [ axr ]

We see things a little differently at [ axr ] . Our mission is to prepare people to have better career conversations, to make great career decisions, to enable individuals and organisations to get the best return out of their relationship. This philosophy and approach helps professionals to have strategic career conversations which means better retention of high-potential talent, the right level of staff-turnover and optimised staff attraction and recruitment.

At [ axr ] , we focus on building careers not jobs, teams not hires, because if it matters to you, it matters to us.

Get your copy now!

HOW TO GUIDE: How To Write a Great Resume

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:51:04 GMT

How To Write A Great Resume

First impressions matter

The basics

If the thought of writing a resume makes you break out into a deep sweat, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many find it challenging to condense their entire career and achievements into a single document, while ensuring it is clear and impactful. Luckily, with the tips we have compiled in this guide, you will be on your way to having a well crafted, professional resume that is sure to knock the socks off any potential new employer.

As recruiters, we have seen thousands of resumes pass our desk over the years, and, as such, have accumulated a wealth of knowledge about what works, and what doesn’t.

A well-crafted resume can significantly impact whether you get invited for an interview or not, as it demonstrates your ability to present yourself effectively on paper. Your resume also contributes to your personal brand and well all know that first impressions matter, so this is your chance to make a good one!

PURPOSE

The purpose of your resume is to get you an interview – it doesn’t actually get you the job.

Your resume should be a succinct overview of your career history with enough information to demonstrate your key competencies and achievements, without overloading it with too much detail. It is, in some respects, your own “Professional Marketing Document,” so it should represent you accurately and professionally. Your resume needs to be factual, objective, well laid out and easy to read. It’s basically, you on a page!

THE FIRST THING TO CONSIDER: FORMATTING

Use simple formatting with a contemporary font large enough to be easily read.
Utilise bullet points, plenty of white space, and bold the headings.
Avoid making it too “fancy” with fonts and layouts that are difficult to read and print. Although a hard copy is often printed out for an interview, these days most resumes are initially read on a screen (or phone) so it needs to present well for both.
Ensure your name and contact details (phone, email, LinkedIn profile link) are at the top of the front page and easily identifiable – you don’t need to include any other personal information.

How to structure your resume

THE FRONT PAGE

This is the most critical page. It ensures that the rest of the resume will even be read! Sometimes a Recruiter or Hiring Manager will make a decision to interview just based on the front page because they can readily see the candidate has the right background, qualifications and experience for the role. It should include:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / CAREER PROFILE:

This is your opening statement and a chance to describe what makes you, YOU. It should state who you are and the key attributes you offer a new employer, tailored to the type of role you are seeking. In essence, it’s your “elevator pitch” that you can use anytime someone says: “tell me about yourself.” KEY

COMPETENCIES:

In point form, list between 5 to 10 key competencies that you feel will lend themselves to the role you are applying for. These need to be factual, tailored to the level of your role and include a mix of both technical and non-technical competencies (e.g. project management, managing P&L, people leadership, executing vision and strategy).

CAREER SUMMARY:

If you have had a reasonably linear career progressing steadily to more senior roles and working for well-known brands, include a career summary on the front page. If your career has been more “checkered” and for some reason, there have been lots of roles, or you had lots of breaks, sometimes you are better to leave this off and move straight into the career history. A good rule of thumb is not to make the career summary too long – it’s better to just have the last 10 years and then list your earlier roles at the end of the Career History (on page two).

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Often it is recommended that your education and qualifications are listed at the end of the resume, and sometimes, that is more appropriate, but if you have 1 or more degrees and a couple of professional qualifications relevant to the role you are applying for, it is best to put it on the front page. For example, a Hiring Manager probably wants to see that a Program Manager has a technology degree plus a business degree, and the relevant professional qualifications. Keep the education brief though, and if there are lots of relevant professional development courses, then put your degree on the front page and the rest at the end

Adding the detail

YOUR CAREER HISTORY

This is where you can provide the detail of your key responsibilities and achievements in each role. You should list your roles in reverse chronological order (i.e. the most recent first), and provide progressively less detail on each role. It is generally your last five years or so that is most relevant for your next role, although you will still need to provide some detail for roles in the last ten years. Make sure you edit your resume each time you update roles to keep it relevant and drop off some of the detail on the earlier roles

The structure

Company Name, Position Title and Dates (month and year)

This information should go first and be bold, so that it stands out and is easily read. We recommend including a very brief (one to two lines) summary of the company, unless you have spent your whole career in a well-known organisation.

Context of the role

This is a brief statement that provides clarity as to the purpose and function of the role within the organisation. For example: “Company X was undergoing considerable transformation and I was hired to build a new centralised transformation function.” State who you were reporting to, the scope of the role and your team size.

Key responsibilities

These should be reasonably high level and brief. Don’t list every task in your job description, keep it to the most important aspects of your role that will lend itself to the position you are applying for.

Key achievements

These can be a little more detailed, to demonstrate what you actually delivered. It is important to keep them measurable and to demonstrate the impact you had. For example: “developed 20+ websites over 4 years, grew customer database by X% by... Do this for each role, although once you are past that 10-year point, just a line or two overviewing either responsibilities or achievements on each role is probably sufficient.

Sample resume template

We see things a little differently at [ axr ] . Our mission is to prepare people to have better career conversations, to make great career decisions, to enable individuals and organisations to get the best return out of their relationship. This philosophy and approach helps professionals to have strategic career conversations which means better retention of high-potential talent, the right level of staff-turnover and optimised staff attraction and recruitment.

At [ axr ] , we focus on building careers not jobs, teams not hires, because if it matters to you, it matters to us.

Download your copy by clicking the link below.

Building out your LinkedIn profile

About [ axr ]

Your LinkedIn profile should align with your resume but can be much briefer and more succinct. It should be easy to read.

Attach a professional photo, keeping in mind that prospective employers and recruiters may make decisions on whether to interview you based on your photo.

We recommend making your profile accessible – when you are job searching, you want people to easily be able to find you. Ensure you connect with all the people you have dealt with professionally as well as people you know – the more connections you have the more likely you will come up in related searches.

Profile heading

Under your name, put the key titles/expertise/skills that help promote your brand – for example:

CA qualified | Finance Manager | FP&A Specialist | Process Improvement

About

Provide a brief description of who you are and the value you bring build your brand statement into the description. Whilst it needs to be short, concise and relevant to the roles you are seeking, you can also say a bit more about you – what you are passionate about in your job and what you love to contribute to a business so that anyone looking at it gets to know a bit more about you as a person.

Career history

Your LinkedIn profile doesn’t need to be as detailed as your resume. List out each of your roles with a brief 1-2 line description of the role and 3-4 key achievements in point form.

Additional information

Include your education and qualifications/certifications.
Populate the skills section so recruiters and hiring managers can find you.
Ask managers and ex-colleagues for recommendations.
Adding in volunteer work and community involvement also helps round out your profile.
Join groups that people in your target roles are likely to be in.

Get your copy now!

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: September 2025

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 06:40:07 GMT

Sales & Marketing Collective – September 2025 Edition

Welcome to the September edition of the Sales & Marketing Collective , our summary of the career moves we found most interesting in Australian FMCG and adjacent industries.

This month saw strong momentum across both sales and marketing, with a noticeable lift in senior leadership changes and a number of well-known names stepping into expanded remits. The sales market continues to be active across food, liquor and household, while marketing leaders are finding opportunities to shape innovation, digital and eCommerce agendas.

We hope you enjoy this month’s edition. Our purpose is to enable great career decisions – if any of the ones you see here make you curious to explore what your next move might be, reach out!

Senior Appointments

Chris Charlton exits his role as Customer Director at Unilever to become General Manager – Sales at Beiersdorf.
Nathaniel Tupou leaves V2 Foods where he was General Manager, to take on the General Manager – Sales role at Darrell Lea.
Ben Gibson departs his role as Managing Director at Raise the Game to join Mark Anthony Brands International as General Manager.
Ray Gao exits Access Corporate Group, where he was Director of Brand Portfolio, to take up a new post at Manassen Foods as New Business Development Director.
Ben Slocombe moves from Liquor Marketing Group, where he was Head of Marketing, to join Zip Water as Marketing & Innovation Director ANZ.
Christina Chou leaves WooliesX, where she was Senior Marketing Manager, to step up as Global Digital Marketing Director at Zimmermann.
Darren Zeidler transitions from Head of Wine at Qantas to step into the CEO role at The Wine Collective.

Wendy Villarosa departs IKEA to become Global CRM Manager at Employment Hero.
Emma Prineas makes the move from Marketing Director at Navitas to Marketing & PR Director at Linkd Tourism.
Kate Taylor transitions from PepsiCo to Snack Brands, continuing as a Marketing Manager.
Anna Edwards shifts from Head of Marketing at Al Aseel Group to the same title at AJ Bush & Sons.
Georgina Gain leaves The University of Sydney to join The Hotel School as Head of Marketing.
Natasha Wright departs Schneider Electric, where she was Trade Marketing Lead, to take on a new role with GWA Group as Marketing Manager – Merchants.
Claudia Henriquez exits Harvey Norman to join Mitsubishi Electric Australia as Trade Marketing Manager.
Keiron Wratt makes the move from Accenture Song, where he was Associate Manager – Marketing, to Tata Consultancy as Martech Lead, Marketing.
Taylor Reynolds leaves Diageo to take on the role of eCommerce Trade Manager at MCo Beauty.
Nathaniel James departs Astra Zeneca to continue as Brand Manager with Key Pharmaceuticals.
Taylor Rowe transitions from Customer Marketing Manager at Nestlé to Spirits Platform as Customer Marketing Lead
Caroline Bonpain exits The Arnott’s Group, where she was Marketing Director eCom, Digital, Media & CX Transformation, to become Marketing Director at BioPak.

Sales Appointments

Jigar Patel moves on from SC Johnson, where he was Account Manager, to take on a National Account Manager role with Sun Road Group.
David Pearson shifts from Pace Farm to Mrs Mac’s, continuing as a National Account Manager.
Bernadette Halcomb leaves Darrell Lea, where she was Head of Customer, to join Opal as National Sales Manager.
Jodie Bailey departs Confectionery Trading Co. to become National P&C Manager at Universal Candy.
Stephen Ryan transitions from National Business Manager at Good Food Partners to join Kimberly-Clark as Customer Business Manager.
Chene Dutton makes the move from Reckitt to Manassen Foods, continuing as a National Account Manager.
Aashna Sachdeva steps up from National Account Manager at Barilla Group to Senior National Account Manager at AB World Foods.
Ryan Sundel leaves Nestlé Professional, where he was Head of Business Development, to join Real Pet Food as Head of Pet Specialty.
Felipe Caicedo progresses from National Account Executive at PepsiCo to National Account Manager at Kimberly-Clark.
Chloe Hurley moves from VidaCorp, where she was Senior National Account Manager, into a new role with Mayborn Group as Channel Manager – Pharmacy & DDS.
Arash Fahimi shifts from Dulux Group to Kraft Heinz, continuing as a National Account Manager.
Leonie Waldeback departs Suntory Oceania to join True Protein as National Account Manager.

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

Lawrence Chau moves from Woolworths , where he was Category Development Lead , to Vitaco Group as Senior Category & Insights Manager .
Maria Rodriguez leaves Quantium to join McDonald’s as Head of Data Enablement & Insights .
Jan Carter departs Mars , where she was Strategic Category Lead & Digital Development Lead , to take on an Executive Manager role at Quantium .

If you’re looking to build your career or your team, reach out.

Thanks,

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: August 2025

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:23:36 GMT

Welcome to the August edition of the Sales & Marketing Collective , our monthly summary of recent career moves we’ve found most interesting in the world of FMCG and adjacent industries.

This month we’ve seen Nestlé being particularly active, bringing in senior hires across sales, marketing and commercial development. At the same time, category leadership saw meaningful shifts, with Reckitt and Haleon trading senior talent. We also saw a number of exec appointments – CRO, CCO and CEO – reflecting demand for leaders who can drive growth in challenging markets.

As always, we’ve wrapped up the most interesting senior commercial moves across sales, marketing and category. Whether you’re hiring, thinking about your next move, or simply keeping a finger on the pulse, we hope you find it useful.

Let’s dive in.

Senior Appointments

Danny Celoni , formerly Chief Executive Officer at Carlton & United Breweries , has been named Chief Executive Officer at Vinarchy .
Dave Tuffin , previously Sales Director ANZ at Blackmores Group , has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer at PNB Consolidated .
Nicola Williamson , Director, Trade Strategy & Category Development at Reckitt , has moved to Haleon as Director, Commercial Excellence .
Kellen Silvero , formerly Marketing Director Pacific at Hasbro , has joined EssilorLuxottica in the same role.
Anton Brown , most recently Senior Advisor, Brand & Marketing Transformation at Webjet , has joined TripADeal as Chief Customer Officer .
Matt Henderson has moved from Commercial Manager at Navitas to become Director, Client Partnerships at Studiosity.
Nicolas Parre has left his role as Business Manager – Wholesale/P&C at Darrell Lea to join Nestlé as National Customer Business Manager – Impulse.
Danielle Blencoe , previously Category & Revenue Manager at Henkel, has joined Lion as Head of Channel Strategy & Execution (Retail).
Grant Onions has moved from State On-Premise Manager – Victoria at Brown-Forman to ALM as Victorian On-Premise & Food Services Manager.
Sharna Makowski , formerly National Account Manager at PharmaCare Laboratories, has joined Perrigo AU in the same role.
Caren Vettese has left her role as Trade Activation Manager at Carlton & United Breweries to join Lion as Senior Customer Activation Manager – On Premise.
Scott Friswell has transitioned from National Business Manager – Woolworths at SPC Global to Baxters Group as National Business Manager – Retail.
Sophie Woodrow , previously Category Growth Manager at Amazon, has joined Nestlé as Commercial Development Manager.
Jacqui Puckeridge has moved from National Account Manager at Coty to the same role at Revlon.
Joshua Clarke most recently Principal Account Executive at ACI Worldwide, has joined Velux as Senior National Account Manager ANZ.

Philippa Hearn has moved from Marketing Manager at Nestlé to Trippas White as Head of Marketing .
Dan Lee has transitioned from Senior Manager Sales Optimisation at Colonial First State to Betashares as Senior Marketing Manager .
Ethan Chan has left his role as Marketing & Brand Assistant at Phillips to join Key Pharmaceuticals as Associate Brand Manager .
Olivia McLeod has moved from Marketing Executive at Sazerac to Nine as Engagement Marketing Senior Executive .
Elli Nearchou has transitioned from Content Partnerships Manager at Nine to On as Global Marketing Campaigns Lead .
Vanessa Pearce has moved from Senior Marketing Manager at PepsiCo to Nestlé as Marketing Manager .
Pip Fredrickson has transitioned from Brand & Content Coordinator at Blooms the Chemist to iTravel as Marketing Executive .
Emma Fogarty , previously Insights & Data Analytics Lead at SunRice , has joined nudie as Head of Marketing .

Marketing Appointments

Category & Strategy Appointments

Suzanne Legg has moved from Senior Category Strategy Manager at Vidacorp to Reckitt as Head of Category ANZ.
Helen Chady has transitioned from Senior Category & Insights Manager at Real Pet Food to Samsung as Head of Product: DBM.
Radhika Menon has transitioned from Category Manager ANZ at Electrolux to Fisher & Paykel as Senior Product Manager

We hope these highlights inspire your own career thinking. If you’re curious to explore what your career pathway could look like, don’t hesitate to reach out.

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: Februrary 2025

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 07:05:54 GMT

The latest edition of the Sales & Marketing Collective is here – and this month’s movements tell a compelling story.

We’ve seen a flurry of Woolworths-facing sales talent making strategic shifts, hinting at increased investment in customer-specific capability. Marketing leaders are also on the move, with from Head of level to CMO, particularly across food and beverage. And while category moves were fewer in number, they were significant, with some shifts into more senior, cross-functional roles.

As always, we’ve wrapped up the most interesting senior commercial moves across sales, marketing, and category. Whether you’re hiring, job-hunting, or just like to keep a finger on the pulse, we hope you find it useful.

Here are the key movements for July:

Senior Appointments

John Freeman has been appointed CEO at Taylors Wines, joining from Redwood North, where he was Director of Portfolio Operations.
Christine Fung joins SunRice as CMO, leaving her role as Marketing Director at Goodman Fielder.
Glenn Cattell moves to waterdrop as B2B Sales Director ANZ. He was previously Head of Sales & Category ANZ at Cereal Partners Worldwide.

Jason Lees joins SharkNinja as Product Marketing Director, moving from Lark Distilling, where he was Commercial Director.
Rachel Juniper has been appointed Senior Marketing Officer at the Australian Defence Force, transitioning from Bayer, where she was Brand Manager.
Natasha Zhang steps into the role of Product Manager at Groupe SEB, after her time as Assistant Product Manager at Fackelmann Housewares.
Laura Pashby joins VELUX as Head of Marketing, previously Marketing Manager at Krispy Kreme.
Noelle Alphonse has been appointed Head of Marketing at Barbeques Galore, moving from El Jannah, where she was Marketing Manager.
Marisa Murray joins The Coca-Cola Company as Marketing Director – Emerging Portfolio, after leading marketing as Head of Marketing at The Water Street Collective.
Jessica Hamilton moves to Nestlé Nespresso as ANZ B2B Marketing Manager, previously Senior Brand Manager at CPW.
Shahid Abdur joins Danone as Head of Digital & Media, following his role as Digital & eCommerce Manager at Church & Dwight Co.
Nicole van Niekerk steps into the Head of Marketing role at Experience Co, after being Snr Brand Marketing Manager at Expedia Group.
Alya Perna moves to Landcare Australia as Digital Marketing Manager, from Australian Geographic, where she was Digital & Membership Marketing Manager.
Olivia Sutherland joins Craveable Brands as Head of Marketing – Chargrill Charlies, having previously been CMO at Krispy Kreme.
Emmanuelle Jucker has been appointed Marketing Manager at Key Pharmaceuticals, moving from Dulux Group, where she was Senior Brand Manager – Selleys.
Caitlin Thomas takes on a Brand Manager role at Wicked Sister Desserts, after her time at NAK Hair.
Emmalene Lovelock joins Langtons as Senior Marketing Manager – Brand & Experience, previously Marketing Manager – Group Brand at Endeavour Group.
Caren Vettesse steps into the Senior Customer Activation Manager role at Lion, moving from Carlton & United Breweries, where she was Trade Activation Manager.
Simone Parrelli has been appointed Shopper Activation Manager – National On-Premise at Suntory Oceania, previously National Channel Activation Manager – On Premise at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

Sales Appointments

Christine Barber joins Philips Healthcare as Head of Sales, Personal Health, following her role as Senior Category Strategy Manager at Lindt.
John Bridge joins Huon as National Account Manager, having held the same title at Botany Group.
Scott Friswell has moved to Baxters Food Group as National Business Manager – Retail, after managing the Woolworths account as National Business Manager at SPC Global.
Corin Spence joins Vitality Brands Worldwide as National Account Manager – Woolworths & Department Stores, moving from Chobani, where she was Account Manager – Woolworths.
Adam Brand has been appointed Head of Convenience & Foodservice at Vitasoy, after his role as Head of Commercial at breadsolutions.
Jess Gardner joins Kimberly-Clark as Customer Business Manager, moving from Riviana Foods, where she was Head of Retail Sales.
Wesley Fairlie has stepped into the Senior Customer Business Manager – Woolworths role at Nestlé, after working as National Account Manager – Woolworths at Asahi Beverages.
Phil Philippou continues as National Account Manager, now with Nu-Pure Beverages, after working in the same role at Healthier Tastier Foods.
Ben Folcarelli joins Casella Family Brands as National Account Manager, previously National Account Executive at SunRice.
Joan Soliven has moved to Duracell as Key Account Manager, after her time at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners as District Development Executive.

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

Sheena Rochiramani steps up to Category Manager at Vitasoy, previously Assistant Category Manager at McCain Foods.
Candice Huang joins Lion as Category Manager, moving from Bayer, where she was Brand Manager.
Dominic Le has been appointed Head of Category & Supplier Management at Botany Group, leaving Samsung, where he was National Channel Manager.
Stephanie Hull moves to Blackmores as Strategic Revenue Manager, having been RGM Excellence Lead at Lion.
Shannon Metcalfe moves to Amazon as Senior Category Manager, previously in the same title at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

If you’re looking to build your career, team or want insight into the market, reach out to one of the team at [axr] Recruitment & Search

How’s The Market May 2025

Mon, 05 May 2025 07:10:53 GMT

This will be out last monthly “How’s the Market?” blog; even with Trump and wars we think a quarterly cadence will give us some more meaningful trends to talk to.

So, how is the market?

As predicted last month, Labor was returned to power, and the Aussie economy remains in balance with stable employment and inflation resulting in another interest rate cut. What does that mean for recruitment? We spent 2 days at The FGA Conference where 450 FMCG & Retail leaders discussed industry trends. The consolidated view was “It’s tough out there, but we feel quietly bullish. We will bring in talent, but in small numbers, which means every hire count. We need to raise the bar; we can’t accept the best of a Seek ad or LinkedIn messaging campaign and that means we will want to access your networks.” We’ll take that.

The Sales Recruitment Market

The Macro in 100 words

Taking a look back at the last 3 blogs we’ve talked about the hot Sales Director market being a lightning rod for a storm in NAM and NBM recruitment. Well, with 8 new FMCG Sales Directors having been appointed we can guarantee they will not take too long to drive some organisational change. So, reach out to Andrew Cannock, Bernice Goodwin and Beth Holgate in our sales & category team to sense check your career pathway now. We’ll report back in 3 months with a summary of how busy they’ve been.

It’s been a long wait for Category to pick up. We’re not there yet, but with a new Category Director assignment in a tier 1 kicking off under Andrew Cannock, we are talking to all the leaders out there…and, like we started this blog, they are quietly bullish about the market and the growing role of Category.

To conclude, we’ll bring you more macro insights and market trends in our new Quarterly How’s the Market! From the [axr] team, thanks for your ongoing support.

The Marketing Recruitment Market

Marketing has been a steady burn all year and it is getting a little hotter. Ben Carnegie’s portfolio of assignments is impressive and the Sales & Marketing Collective this month shows you how busy the market is becoming with more marketing than sales roles for the first time ever.

The Category, Shopper & RGM Markets

How’s The Market? April 2025: Tariffs, Elections & Resilience: Recruitment Market Holds Strong

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 07:33:44 GMT

We were quietly bullish in about the outlook for recruitment in our March blog…little did we know the chaos to ensue as Trump unloaded his protectionist tariff plan. Has the progress of the recruitment market been derailed? Let’s take a look.

We gave a thorough summary of inflation, employment and GDP last month – all were in balance, giving us the strongest platform for recruitment we’ve seen in years. Trump’s tariffs, whilst creating a global political maelstrom, have not impacted our economic indicators or recruitment confidence. As Trump now oscillates, and because we actually sit with a significant US trade deficit, it does feel like BAU. Closer to home, the imminent Election looks likely to return Labor to power, so what could have been massive upheaval on global and domestic fronts wont amount to much. We hope.

The Sales Recruitment Market

The Macro in 100 words

The Sales Director market has been running hot with appointments being announced over the next couple of weeks. That has 2 impacts – immediate and medium term; 1. Immediately it creates more Customer and Sales Director roles to be filled as the current crop take new roles, and 2. Medium term new Sales Directors are expected to take a fresh look at capability and delivery. That means movement in the NAM and NBM world, exacerbated by the new financial year and fresh budgets.

The Marketing Recruitment Market

We’ve been reporting a steady increase in demand for junior and mid-level marketers for several months, and the slow, painful, wait for the senior market to return. Well, we’re getting closer, we think. With changes at Marketing Director level in Suntory and Reckitt, along with more open roles at the Head of and Marketing Manager levels across different organisations, that could just be enough to create the liquidity we need to open the senior marketing market. We’re so, so close.

Category, Shopper & RGM Markets

We’ve been waiting for Category et al to kick off in 2025 and we’re almost there with a number of roles coming to market, including at the Head of level. Revenue Management continues to be a focus for most FMCG, liquor and consumer clients demonstrated by the popularity of our 9% Club run in partnership with Andrew Cannock from [axr] and Pau Bull from FMCG Analytics.

To conclude, Trump’s tariffs and the upcoming election have not had a negative impact on recruitment. We don’t know what could be next, but I do love the resilience corporate Australia has built.

In other news, the much awaited [axr] 2025 Salary Guides are here! Download your copy today.

How’s The Market March 2025: Sales Directors on the rise; RGM roles still as popular as ever

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:21:59 GMT

The first quarter of 2025 is closing and whilst Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ budget was a little underwhelming, the economy and recruitment is in decent position. Let’s dive in and have a look at how the market is for March.

With inflation at a very manageable 2.4% and unemployment at 4%, we are in balance. Economic growth, whilst still low at 1.5%, is expected to reach 2.25% next year and 2.75% by 2027. Wage growth is also ahead of inflation for the first time in years. That is a solid economic platform and appears to be giving CEOs more confidence to make longer term strategic decisions, which is then flowing through to a more active senior recruitment market. Let’s dive into our areas of expertise, sales, marketing and category recruitment.

Several new Sales Directors are about to be appointed, triggering positive change

The Macro in 100 words

We’re still waiting for recruitment to kick of in category and shopper in 2025. It’s a hard area to recruit for, and we have a strong brand and share across the space, so we know we’re not missing much, but it is frustrating for those who are ready for a move. By contrast, Revenue Growth Management continues to grow for most organisations. If you would like to learn more about RGM, download our whitepaper: “Converting complexity into opportunity – the importance of Revenue Growth Management for FMCG careers.”

In summary, like the CEO community, we are increasingly confident in the Australian economy and whilst it’s been a lumpy start to the recruitment year, we’re pleased by the trends we’re seeing. If you would like more market insights, advice on hiring practices or you’re looking to make a move in your own career, our experienced Sales & Marketing recruitment team are here to assist. Get in touch with us today.

As reported for the last few How’s The Market blogs , demand for marketing talent has been steadily growing and that is starting to reach the ‘Head of’ level, and we expect Marketing Director and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) to be next. After a few stagnant months for marketing, it’s positive to see growth in this area. Meanwhile, brand management is bubbling away nicely at all levels in the FMCG space, and in the broader consumer space, movement at marketing leadership level is increasing. We predict these trends will continue.

How’s The Market: Recruitment trends for 2025

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 07:43:01 GMT

What recruitment trends can we expect to see in the world of Sales , Marketing and Category in 2025?

Whilst economic growth in Australia slowed over 2024, we’ve now experienced 12 consecutive quarters of growth and will continue to see steady progress through 2025. That’s good to know but the big question is when will interest rates start to drop? Inflation is still stubbornly high and unemployment is impressively low….so interest rates will not drop soon or far in 2025, and any drop will be marginal and gradual. The big question is, what does that mean for the recruitment market in 2025? Is it the trigger every business is waiting for? In short, no. Demand for talent is still outstripping supply, but it’s not evenly spread.

Sales will peak, but it now has such size and scope that 2025 will still be busy.

The Macro in 100 words

The major shift in 2024 was the quick and continuous re-emergence of the National Business Manager (NBM) role as the large numbers of National Account Managers (NAM) recruited and developed post-covid reached leadership levels. But the NBM is not the role of old, it now requires multi-functional and multi-channel experience; a sales role for future leaders, not just a parking-lot for old-hands. The underlying long-term recruitment trends for the function have been the impressive development in sophistication and scope – we think it’s now close to full optimisation, and that demand for talent will peak in 2025, but even business as usual recruitment will mean our Sydney Sales recruiters we will be kept very busy!

Marketing will be back…we just don’t know when the dam will burst

The senior marketing market has been threatening to burst into life over the past 2 years with some exciting new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) roles in the market, but it’s just not happened yet. So many marketers, from Marketing Manager roles upwards, are ready for a move and waiting for an opportunity. The dam is close to overflowing, we just need 3 or 4 senior marketing roles to happen at the same time and it’ll burst. If it’s any comfort, the senior Sales market was in the same place 2 years ago…and its dam got blown away within a month. The more junior Brand roles are in steady demand as are Content, Social and Digital Marketing roles … but when this dam does burst, it’ll be a lot of fun through the whole function and for our Sydney sales and marketing recruiters!

As [axr] Sales & Marketing approaches our 5-year anniversary, it’s time to look at what we think will happen in 2025 as well as the long-term career trends and recruitment trends we’re tracking. As usual we’ll give a quick macro-overview then dive into sales, marketing and category.

Category has more scope and impact, and recruitment will shift to an external focus

The long term trend has seen Category grow in responsibility, with Commercial Planning and Revenue Management moving out of finance into the function alongside a Shopper Marketing team that has been given a much bigger bite. It’s also common to now see specialist teams in Category Strategy and Category Development all resulting in significantly more headcount. But we’ve been perplexed by the fickle nature of recruitment in recent quarters. Analysis shows that much of the growth has come from internal hires; organisations giving talent experiential breadth – just what we preach! Whilst we love that trend, we know the size of the function means external talent moves will happen much more regularly going forward.

In summary, forecasting is a mugs game – just ask a dozen economists and listen to a dozen different views. We’re also embedded in Loyalty and Retail Media with some strategic clients and see both demanding more investment from CPG in 2025. Lots to consider, but overall we’re quietly bullish, and why not?

For more recruitment trends, keep an eye out in next month for our 2025 [axr] Salary Guide – our more comprehensive view of Sydney sales and marketing roles, along with Sydney finance and accounting roles, key trends in each function, salary expectations, plus career insights, market wraps and more! You won’t want to miss it!

How To Make Your Job Application Stand Out From The Crowd

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 09:10:41 GMT

In a competitive job market, where a single job ad may attract over 300 candidates, it’s never been more important to make your job application stand out from the crowd. A well-constructed, well-thought out, professional resume can make all the difference between being shortlisted or placed directly into the ‘no’ pile. So just how can you make your job application ‘unmissable?’

Job hunting can bring a mix of candidates: those who truly need a job and those applying on impulse or out of desperation. These casual, ‘impulse’ job applications are akin to picking up an unnecessary treat at the checkout—interest may fade fast. This surge in non-serious applications can often overwhelm hiring teams, leading to recruitment fatigue, and therefore making it harder to prioritise and spot the genuine candidates.

Needless to say, a very common question often asked by job seekers is: “How do I ensure that my job application is seen?”

To stand out, your job application needs to be relevant to what you apply for, so there are questions you should ask yourself before you apply to ensure that you are taken seriously:

Am I a suitable candidate for this role? Just because you love to go on holidays, doesn’t mean you’ll be the most suitable candidate for a Travel Marketing position.
Does the role and company align with your personal career goals? Knowing what you want to achieve will give you more credibility with an interviewer.
Is this role the right level of seniority for me? You need to consider the experience you have and whether the seniority of the position is a match.
The number of applications is already so high, should I even bother applying? If the answer to the previous three questions is yes, then apply. Often, 95% of applicants are not suitable because they don’t ask themselves these questions.

Is my resume in good shape?

The key to a standout resume is to keep it simple . You’ve got less than 10 seconds to grab the attention of who is reviewing your resume, so make it count! Here’s what to include:

A brief introduction of yourself and where you are wanting your career to go and what makes you, YOU.
A career summary is helpful as it provides the hiring manager a quick snapshot of how relevant your background is to the role. Keep it high level: include the company name, your title and your tenure.
Next, detail your career history. The most recent 5 – 7 years will be of most interest, so put more detail into these roles.
Ensure you clearly define your responsibilities and separate out your achievements.
Use bullet points rather than blocks of text. Relevant information can be found faster in this format.
Your achievements should include measurable results, and not just serve as an extension of your responsibilities. Use numbers and data to quantify results further and highlight key successes.
Include relevant keywords in your resume. Larger companies will often use software to scan resumes for keywords, so research relevant language to have your resume picked up by software.
The more senior you are in your career, the harder it is to keep it to two pages, which is virtually impossible, and not best practice. Don’t be too concerned if your resume ends up being four or five pages long, so long as the key points are highlighted up front.

Speed to market is key

The first week of an ad being posted is often the best time to apply, as it’s when the job ad will most likely be reviewed by the Talent / Hiring Manager. They will often be hiring for several roles concurrently and will have a high volume of applicants to sift through, so speed to market is important and will increase your chances of your resume being reviewed.

Good grammar is important

A rather obvious (but often overlooked) factor that can make or break a resume is good grammar and punctuation. Think about it, if you say on your resume that you have good attention to detail, but there are spelling mistakes, it’s not the best look. In a competitive job market, a polished resume can set you apart from other candidates. Small errors could be the difference between being shortlisted or overlooked.

Need help crafting your job application?

At [axr], we see things a little differently. Our mission is to prepare people to have better career conversations, to make great career decisions, to enable individuals and organisations to get the best return out of their relationship . If you would like assistance crafting your job application or simply want to have a career conversation to discuss your next step, get in touch with the team today!

About Ben Carnegie

Ben is an experienced recruiter, with 17 years’ services marketing recruitment experience and 9 years' event management experience. His focus is on developing long-term relationships with [ axr ] 's clients to source the best match for their needs, whilst providing market insights for long-term planning; whilst at the same time, supporting candidates on their career journey and helping them present the best version of themselves.

7 Reasons Why Partnering with a Recruitment Agency is Key—Even When Candidates are Abundant

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 09:23:38 GMT

In a busy job market, where candidates are in abundance, there is often a misconception that it will make filling roles much easier. More candidates equals more success at finding the right person for the job, right? Unfortunately, it’s never that simple. The truth is, the more applicants you have for a role, the harder it can be to find the right fit. On top of this, how do you ensure you are still getting the best talent and not just the available talent?

While the use of job boards will attract a high volume of applicants in markets like these, the painstaking task of reviewing so many unsuitable candidates can often leave hiring managers and internal talent partners with recruitment fatigue. There’s also the time-consuming process of responding to all the candidates that you cannot progress with. Current stats show that a job ad can attract, on average, 300 applications, yet suitable candidates for your role will only be a fraction of that, barely even reaching double digits .

So, what’s the solution? Partnering with a specialist recruitment agency , can provide many benefits, and help to address some of the challenges businesses often face from having to ‘go it alone’. These can include:

Quality vs. quantity – sourcing high-quality candidates

The more applicants that you have for a role, the easier it is to get lost in resumes that might not match your needs. Recruitment agencies have the expertise and tools to filter through the noise and bring you top-tier candidates that align with your company’s culture and specific role requirements. This focus on quality, in turn, can help to increase the rate of success and longevity your new employee will have in your business.

Time and cost-saving efficiency

Access to the passive candidate market

Sorting through a flood of applications is time-consuming, costly and can pull your team away from critical business tasks. A specialist recruitment agency takes care of the heavy lifting, so you can stay focused on driving your business forward. While recruitment agencies do charge a fee for their services, this cost is offset by the time and resources you can save by outsourcing part or all of the hiring process. It’s hard to argue with that logic!

Many top-tier professionals aren’t actively job hunting but may be open to considering new career opportunities if approached. All good recruitment agencies will have access to these passive candidates, particularly specialist recruitment agencies as they have an in-depth knowledge of the skills, qualifications and experience necessary for specific industry-based roles, along with a deeper understanding of the candidate market and talent available. They can engage the right candidates, with the right opportunities, therefore expanding your talent pool beyond just active applicants.

Tailored recruitment strategy to suit your needs

The recruitment agencies that produce the best results don’t just fill roles; they create a transparent recruitment strategy based on your company’s unique needs, culture, and future growth plans. This ensures you’re not just hiring for now, but for long-term success.

An ambassador for your company

A good recruitment agency will take the time to get to know your business, your challenges, drivers and needs, to ensure that they can provide you with tailored, relevant recruitment support, to increase the chances of successfully sourcing the right talent for your business . Bringing your business to life outside of a job description through the storytelling of company history, culture, future developments and company growth objectives, will in turn result in a stronger buy in from prospective candidates.

Speed to success

With a focused approach and established talent networks, recruitment agencies often reduce the time it takes to fill a position, helping you minimise downtime and keep productivity high.

[ axr ] - Your partner in recruitment & search

In a market overflowing with talent, partnering with a specialist recruitment agency can be a game-changer. By collaborating with a recruitment specialist, you not only streamline the hiring process but also gain a competitive edge in attracting and retaining the best talent in the market. It’s a strategic investment in your company’s future success!

At [ axr ] , we focus on building careers, not jobs, teams not hires. We understand the value of making good career decisions and partner with businesses for growth, not just now, but in the future.

If you have Sydney-based roles in accounting and finance or sales and marketing that you are looking to fill before Christmas or further into 2025, reach out to schedule a consultation about how [ axr ] Recruitment & Search can support you to achieve the best results for you, your team and your company.

How’s The Market October 2024: Tough retail environment, cost-of-living pressures and the digital revolution

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 09:32:32 GMT

As the year rapidly whittles away, October is always a fascinating time to analyse the market, and generally brings some spills and thrills with it.

The top headline in FMCG this month relates to the ongoing ACCC investigation into retailer conduct, contributing to a tough trading environment. E-Commerce and the pressures of keeping up with the Digital realm has also impacted the market, with changes to various functions and specific roles. And it appears that all businesses are still being affected by cost-of-living, with budgets tighter than ever, resulting in restructures and redundancies.

So, how is the market? Here’s our deep-dive.

Sales continues to be where we see the most demand for talent.

Businesses see the sales function as where they can get the most immediate return on investment and, when you overlay the difficult trading environment that suppliers are facing into, you can see why this is where most of their recruitment dollars are going. What’s in demand, specifically? Experienced Account and Business Managers with strong commercial acumen are never going to be short of opportunities. But the ones who really stand out are those who can develop true partnership with retailers, fostering relationships built on trust and collaboration, and building plans aligned to business and customer strategy. With cost-of-living pressure and heavily publicised ACCC investigations ongoing, there has never been a greater need for suppliers and retailers to come together and work in partnership to achieve the ‘triple win’ which not only drives commercial outcomes for both parties but puts shopper and consumer needs firmly at their heart.

The wild world of Marketing continues to confuse and confound.

There are two factors driving the lack of movement in the Category function.

Although there have been scores of interesting moves in Marketing across FMCG and Services businesses, many active candidates seem to be struggling to secure roles. We have seen an increase in Contracting roles, including mat-leave and project based or fractional roles. We’re also noticing a shift from generalist marketing to more specialised focuses such as CRM, Digital or Innovation, and it seems the “Senior Brand Manager” title is once again the neglected child of the FMCG family, being removed from several business structures. Finally, remuneration is either stagnant or regressing, with marketers being asked to take on more without the salary to match the increased responsibilities. The question is, is this a result of over-inflated salaries or a sign of consistently tighter budgets? We think, it’s both.

Firstly, many senior Category people have made it to the Head of Function level and don’t have an obvious next step; there are very few Category Director roles around, and even fewer available. The desire for more extensive customer management experience in the Sales function means that they face stiff competition for an SD role if they try to make a cross-functional move (internally or externally). So, because these people aren’t moving, their teams aren’t moving. Secondly, businesses are considering if, and how, their Category functions need to evolve to meet changing demands. Does RGM come into it, or sit in Finance, or separately? Would it make sense for Shopper to be integrated? These are the sorts of questions that are being pondered. And we’re unlikely to see much change within function until businesses make the decisions that are right for them. Our feeling is that 2025 may be a year of change and opportunity for Category stars!

How’s The Market August 2024: Mergers, team growth and the ever-popular NBM

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:37:39 GMT

Who said the market was quiet?

There are $36 billion reasons that tell me it’s going to get much more exciting – and that is exactly the price Mars has paid for Kellanova (the FMCG previously known as Kellogg). We love a business on a journey, and we have two giants of our world hoping that life will be “better together.” Time will tell, but the brands are complementary, and Mars is a privately owned business that does things deliberately and without haste, so our opinion is positive.

But, it’s not just our tier 1 clients who are exciting us. We are currently talking with three businesses with huge ambition: one will disrupt, one will grow and one will blow apart their category. Yes, we are still suffering market headwinds, but fortune will favour the brave. More to come…

At [axr], we’re into our 5th year as a Sales, Marketing and Category FMCG specialist, and gathering momentum in the consumer services space with industry powerhouse, Ben Carnegie . Our mission is to enable you to make a great career decision, brought to life with podcasts , guides , blogs, and so much more. A fresh take on our customer experience has also given us the confidence to add our 6th consultant to the team, Bernice Goodwin , an Aussie recruiter returning home after a successful career in London. That gives us more reach, enables us to have more conversations and to help more and more of you with your career. We’ll be honest with you; like any recruiter, we place very few people week to week, but, unlike any recruiter, we will help you. When you’re in the [axr] ecosystem, you will get every insight you need to get the most out of your career.

So, how has the market been for August?

Sales cannot get enough of the new-breed National Business Manager (NBM)

Marketing is edging, slowly, towards the senior market

We’re 6 months into the NBM resurgence and it shows no signs of slowing down, bridging the gap, beautifully, between the expanded National Account Manager (NAM) role and Customer Director.

While marketing roles are veering closer towards the senior end of town, there is still a long way to go to achieve balance, with too many good people still scratching their heads on how to get on a shortlist. FMCG demand for Brand Manager and Senior Brand Manager roles is still steady, while the broader Consumer Services market remains balanced in the mid-market for Performance, CRM and Generalist Marketing positions.

Category is in a (temporary?) state of abeyance, but Revenue Growth Management (RGM) roles are heating up

In fact, given the increasing popularity of the RGM roles, it’s quite timely that we are in the midst of running our ‘9% club’, with Paul Bull and Matt Freebury’s FMCG Analytics as more and more clients look to allocate headcount to RGM. If you would like to attend our next RGM event, get in contact with us. You might also like to download our latest RGM whitepaper, ‘Converting Complexity into Opportunity: The Importance of Revenue Growth Management for FMCG Careers.

Finally, what’s the big news for September?

We’re excited about our all our new clients in waiting, but who knows. Could we see consolidation, disruption, and/or Private Equity (PE) aggression? And we didn’t even talk about Accolade’s acquisition of Pernod Ricard’s wine portfolio ! There’s never a dull moment in the world of FMCG careers, that’s for sure!

How’s The Market July 2024: New financial year, new opportunities.

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 09:42:08 GMT

In our last blog , Mike spoke about his feeling that we were on a path to a better place, based on gut feeling and some hard evidence. It turns out that optimism was well-placed, as the new financial year has brought a flurry of hiring across our core disciplines. What are we seeing specifically across Sales, Marketing and Category?

Sales has reached boiling point

Demand in sales has picked up considerably, with a big uptick in demand in the last month as new budgets land. Good customer managers are worth their weight in gold, with strong negotiation skills and relationship-based selling absolutely key given how tough the retail environment is currently, so it’s becoming a candidate’s market. This is exacerbated by the fact that businesses are being very discerning in their demand for tried and tested experience versus up-and-coming potential. They’re happy to wait for the perfect candidate rather than compromise.

Marketing is increasingly competitive

The shortage of roles and candidates we saw a mere few months ago has significantly shifted, with businesses ramping up hiring in the new financial year and more candidates now feeling confident in changing companies despite the economic pressure that everyone is feeling. This has resulted in plenty of good roles becoming available, but the competition for them is intense. Marketers need to overcome what for many of them is their greatest challenge – marketing themselves!

Category is still the steady ship…for now

What else is happening for the [axr] Sales & Marketing team?

Category continues to tick along, with a steady stream of mid-level roles on the market. The function is ever-evolving within businesses, especially with the growing importance of RGM and the tendency for it to sit within category teams, meaning that incumbents are likely to be getting continued development opportunities without having to change roles. I think we will see an increase in category opportunities towards the end of this year and into early 2025 as this evolution continues, with the creation of more roles which are about ensuring through the line execution of activation plans that are aligned with category drivers and retailer strategy.

Finally, if you’re not subscribed to our monthly PodBlog email, we recommend signing up ! It’s a window into what’s coming up on the Your Future in Sales & Marketing podcast , along with a recap of past episodes. We have so many amazing guests coming your way – there’s lots of exciting activity happening in our podcast world at the moment!

How’s The Market June 2024: It’s heating up for Sales, Marketing and Category!

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:49:56 GMT

For the last 3 blogs we’ve been quoting ABS data, the RBA, and the Treasury to make sense of how our institutions are measuring and steering the economy. But, sometimes, you’ve just got to believe in your gut, and my gut says we’re on a steadier path to a better place (but it is also based on some evidence). From the ongoing talent market excitement and disruption that is the new Suntory world, to an increased confidence in many senior leaders in my network, it bodes well. So, what are we seeing for Sales, Marketing and Category jobs this month?

Sales is hotting up

For the last year, the market always had one Sales Director role, pleasingly we seemed to have had our fair share, but it has now ramped up 400% to 4 roles. That’s some growth to get excited about. We’re also on the cusp of kicking off 2 senior roles soon, so it’s looking up. Meanwhile, in National Account Manager (NAM) world, the market is much the same. The key is to comprise and recruit for the future, or you may be in the market for a while looking for that perfect unicorn.

Marketing is finding a nice rhythm

With Ben Carnegie joining our team and enlightening us to the big-wide-world outside of FMCG, it’s hard to say if the stronger flow of roles reflects our broader reach or if it’s a reflection of the market. My gut tells me that it is the market, because our Brand and Marketing specialist in FMCG, Amelia Kettle , currently has her biggest portfolio of roles from Junior Activation roles through to Head of Brand roles. The signs are good!

Category is the steady ship

Category is probably the space where our clients need us the most. With smaller teams (and small talent pools), more technical roles, and constant functional evolution, the Talent Acquisition teams see [axr] as a specialist they can rely on. From Category Development Manager (CDM) to Head of Category (HOC), it’s our steadiest market, and we anticipate it to continue to grow as Revenue Growth Management (RGM) roles become more prevalent and highly regarded in organisations.

Speaking of which, we are running an RGM seminar in the coming weeks in partnership with FMCG Analytics entitled, “The 9% Club.” The event is designed to bring together senior FMCG leaders to share insights, learnings and challenges across the commercial space, and explore how different approaches to revenue growth management are enabling businesses to drive growth in a challenging economic environment. If you are an RGM or Category Leader and are interested in attending, please reach out to Andrew Cannock for further details.

What else is happening for the [axr] Sales & Marketing team?

How’s The Market May 2024: The goldilocks, the fickle and the consistent

Thu, 16 May 2024 09:54:24 GMT

What’s happening in Sales, Marketing & Category?

In our April blog, we highlighted the recent ABS and Seek quarterlies showing vacancies and job ads trending down, meaning a softening recruitment market. This week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers produced his 2024 Budget ; an attempt to ease cost-of-living pain without overstimulating the economy. Will it work? Ask 10 economists, and get 10 different answers!

In recruitment-land, we can’t wait to get back to the normal (halcyon?) days of low interest rates, low inflation, good economic growth, and full employment! We’re not asking much, but it does feel, when we look at our month-on-month micro trends, we’re going in the right direction. So, what are we seeing in Sales, Marketing and Category land?

Sales is the consistent market

Demand for the “perfect-NAM” remains high and supply remains low. Employers are wrapping arms around their unicorns, and recruitment has become a creative compromise. Pleasingly, the NBM resurgence continues, and the senior market drips away with role after role.

Marketing is the fickle market

Category is the goldilocks’ market

When it comes to marketing, some months are up, some months are down. This month, it’s up! Senior demand remains in the doldrums, but interest in the Fractional CMO (or otherwise known as an Interim CMO), is creating options as organisations bring in leaders for strategic projects. Innovation roles have their own micro trend, with consistent demand. Lifecycle and Automation strategies are seeing more investment, particularly in Financial Services, and NFP marketers are feeling the cost-of-living pressure with donations dropping.

In Category, the balance is just about right, with a consistent flow of roles from junior through mid to senior levels. With current market conditions, we are having more and more conversations about Revenue Growth Management ; so expect some very interesting roles in this space soon.

In other news….

We’ve been overwhelmed with positive feedback for our 2024 Salary Guides . It does seem that every single person has a copy, but if you’ve been overseas or on long-service-leave and want to learn more, reach out today . You need to know!

How’s The Market April 2024: Job growth in decline, but it’s not all bad news

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 10:01:24 GMT

April Market Update – Sales, Marketing & Category

The big indicator of recruitment market performance is the quarterly ABS Job Vacancies Report . This is compiled across every sector and organisational type. The report just out shows a 6.1% decrease in vacancies compared to the previous quarter but is still ahead of pre-covid numbers. The second indicator is the monthly Seek Job Ad update, which was down 2.5% but still ahead of pre covid levels. So, what to read into all of that?!

Most sectors and most companies see 2024 as a year to get through unscathed, allowing high interest rates to drive down inflation to the RBA’s 2-3% target, and we’re getting closer, currently at 3.4%, significantly down from the 7.8% peak of 15 months ago.

So, at a macro level, we believe recruitment will trend down gently for another 6 months, but at a business and functional level, several contrary micro-trends continue.

Sales – Demand is still high for National Account Managers (NAMs) and National Business Managers (NBMs) , but the comfort of experience in tough trading conditions is becoming more important than skills and potential.
Marketing – Marketing budgets are often cut, and teams downsized in a down market. We’re not seeing that, but outside of the consistent movement of Brand Managers and Senior Brand Managers (SBMs), the market is quiet, with the senior market in long term stagnation. Popular roles that are still in demand, include: Campaign Managers, CRM Marketing and Digital Marketing roles at an executional and middle management level.
Category – Businesses often look to category to lead through complex markets, and we see that in recruitment with the demand for Category Development and Category Strategy Manager disproportionately high compared to other functions.

As I write this, US inflation numbers are out and have jumped up, negatively impacting the Aussie dollar and could stall our interest rate reduction. I’m no economist, but maybe the threat of Donald Trump being re-elected has Americans stockpiling the essentials ahead of the riots to come!

In other news, our 2024 Salary Guides are out and now has never been a better time to see where you sit in your career and if your salary is aligned to market rates. Dive into these comprehensive guides to gain valuable insights into industry standards, essential skills for success across different roles, emerging trends and new roles shaping the market landscape, and much more.

Our 2024 Salary Guides are now live!

Don’t miss out on this invaluable resource for navigating the ever-evolving job market.

Market predictions for 2024

We also recently released our market predictions podcast epsiode for 2024 , where our sales and marketing consultants Amelia Kettle and Andrew Cannock shared their insights on the year that was, predictions for the year ahead, and the roles that will be in high demand in 2024. It’s well worth a listen, so tune in now!

New team member for Sales & Marketing

Finally, our reports and guides take on a broader perspective from this month as we add the highly experienced Ben Carnegie to our team. Ben is well known, highly regarded and takes our brand into his area of expertise, the broader consumer goods and services market. Welcome Ben!

axrrecruitment

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: March 2026

Welcome to the March 2026 edition of the [axr] Sales & Marketing Collective

Senior Appointments

Sales Appointments

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: February 2026

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the [axr] Sales & Marketing Collective

Senior Appointments

Sales Appointments

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: February 2026

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the [axr] Sales & Marketing Collective.

Senior Appointments

Sales Appointments

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

HOW TO GUIDE: Getting Yourself Interview Fit

GETTING YOURSELF INTERVIEW FIT

GETTING YOURSELF INTERVIEW FIT

THE INTERVIEW STRUCTURE

YOUR STRENGTHS & DEVELOPMENT AREAS

COMPETENCIES: WHERE EXPERIENCE & SKILL COME TOGETHER

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

ABOUT AXR

It’s your career , not a job

It’s your team , not a hire

If it matters to you , it matters to us .

Contact us today for a CAREER CONVERSATION .

Get your copy now!

HOW TO GUIDE: How To Build And Activate Your LinkedIn Profile

How to Build and Activate Your LinkedIn Profile

If you build it... they wont come!

Build your LinkedIn Profile

Build your network

Top tips

Activate your profile

About [ axr ]

Get your copy now!

HOW TO GUIDE: How To Write a Great Resume

How To Write A Great Resume ﻿

First impressions matter

The basics

How to structure your resume

Adding the detail

The structure

Sample resume template

Building out your LinkedIn profile

About [ axr ]

Get your copy now!

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: September 2025

Sales & Marketing Collective – September 2025 Edition

Senior Appointments

Sales Appointments

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: August 2025

Senior Appointments

Marketing Appointments

Category & Strategy Appointments

We hope these highlights inspire your own career thinking. If you’re curious to explore what your career pathway could look like, don’t hesitate to reach out.

[axr] Sales & Marketing Collective: Februrary 2025

The latest edition of the Sales & Marketing Collective is here – and this month’s movements tell a compelling story.

Senior Appointments

Sales Appointments

Marketing Appointments

Category Appointments

How’s The Market May 2025

The Sales Recruitment Market

The Macro in 100 words

The Marketing Recruitment Market

The Category, Shopper & RGM Markets

How’s The Market? April 2025: Tariffs, Elections & Resilience: Recruitment Market Holds Strong

The Sales Recruitment Market

The Macro in 100 words

The Marketing Recruitment Market

Category, Shopper & RGM Markets

How’s The Market March 2025: Sales Directors on the rise; RGM roles still as popular as ever

How To Write A Great Resume