Spotify’s marketing director Serena Leith up for Executive of the Year Award

CEO Magazine has revealed the finalists for its Executive of the Year Awards for 2020.

In the CMO of the Year category, Spotify’s marketing director, Serena Leith, is one of four marketers in the running for the prize.

The Brag Media’s CEO Luke Girgis is also one of three up for Media Executive of the Year.

CEO Magazine says the Executive of the Year Awards are a key event in Australia’s corporate calendar, “shining a spotlight on the achievements of the individuals who make this country great”.

Girgis – who is running against CEO of creative agency Host/Havas, Laura Aldington, as well as Kath Blackham, the CEO of voice and conversational AI agency VERSA – said his nomination comes after a tumultuous and transformative time for Brag Media.

“When COVID hit in March, we lost $1 million in three days, and I had no idea how we were going to get through the year,” he told The Music Network. 

“At that moment, the whole Brag team really dug in, we moved fast and worked extremely hard, all putting in very long hours. This paid off and meant we were not only able to keep on every permanent staff member at full hours, but also hire four new Braggers since March.”

Now, he said, The Brag is in the middle of its biggest quarter in terms of audience and revenue.

“It’s crazy to think about what the team have done, and how far we have come since March,” he said, noting how many other media companies had met a very different fate in recent months.

Earlier this year, The Brag Media relaunched the iconic Rolling Stone brand in Australia.

Girgis’ nomination, he said, is the result of the hard work of his team and partners, and will have a positive knock-on effect.

“I have a very wholistic view on awards. I think they are extremely important for industries – whether it be professionally, politically or socially. A healthy awards culture is extremely powerful for all organisations in an industry and its influence outside of it,” he told The Music Network. 

“My view is that awards are absolutely critical and important for industry, however whoever wins a particular award is not as important as the exposure and impact the awards night can have on the community it represents.”

In her category, Spotify’s Leith is up against Adriana Giometti, the chief marketing and client relations officer at Holman Webb Lawyers; Diana Faddoul, the marketing business lead at Uniting; and Ben King, national marketing manager at CouriersPlease.

Spotify has been approached for comment.

The virtual awards ceremony will take place on November 12.