Smelly Lunch Stories: Navigating the Stink

A panel event unpacking bias, belonging, and the future of leadership in our industry.

Smelly Lunch Stories returns with its second powerful panel event; Navigating the Stink, bringing together some of the industry’s most respected voices for an honest, unfiltered conversation about cultural bias, career ceilings, and what true inclusion really looks like in Australian advertising, marketing and media.

This event is for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t quite belong, and anyone in a position to change that.

Join:

Christina Aventi, Chief Strategy Officer at BMF and Gruen panellist
Eugene Healy, independent brand strategy consultant, educator and creator
Mark Echo, Executive Manager of Channel, Performance and Effectiveness at IAG
Moderated by Linda Fagerlund, Smelly Lunch Stories co-founder and CSO at Mediahub ANZ

Together, they’ll share lived experiences and unpack findings from research conducted by Smelly Lunch Stories and Urban List; from being overlooked for promotions, to feeling the need to downplay their cultural identity in order to ‘fit in.’

The research reveals a confronting reality: one in three people in our industry believe they’ve been passed over for roles or projects because of their background, and nearly half have felt the need to hide aspects of their culture just to belong.

This panel dives into why, and what we can do next.

With ongoing support from Urban List, and proudly welcoming Ideally as a new sponsor, Navigating the Stink is part of an ongoing event series designed to spark conversation, build community and increase the representation of culturally diverse talent in executive leadership across Australia’s marketing, advertising and media industry.

Whether you're an up-and-comer looking for career inspiration or a senior leader wanting to be part of the solution, this event is for you.

The ticket price includes a Smelly Lunch Stories-inspired canapé menu curated by Ace Hotel Sydney and a drinks package. All proceeds are supporting event costs and Humanitix’s charity partners.

For more information head to SmellyLunchStories.com