Brent Smart is CMO of Telstra, where he has led a brand transformation that has taken a legacy telco brand and made it into Australia’s most creative, bringing home a Grand Prix and 8 Cannes Lions in 2025. Proving his belief that creativity drives effectiveness, at the same time marketing ROI has more than doubled and Telstra has won 4 Effies. Previously he was CMO at IAG where he took NRMA Insurance from 74th strongest brand in Australia when he joined to fifth and won the Grand Effie in 2021. Brent spent 20 years in the agency business, leading New Zealand Agency of the Decade Colenso BBDO and as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi New York he worked on iconic American brands Cheerios, Tide and Walmart.