Matthew Stoddart

Starting his career 20 years ago in New Zealand, Matt crossed the ditch and has spent the last 15 years working at some of the best agencies in Melbourne. During his time in the industry, he’s helped reduce gambling addiction in Victoria, received a cease and desist letter from the U.S Government for a billboard, guilted kids into visiting their parents more often, made the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra play non-stop for 24 hours, hijacked the live broadcast of the most watched sporting event in history, broken a Guinness World Record, made a film 120 hours long, partnered a bank with Nike to create the first Player Exclusive shoe for a disabled athlete, spread mardi gras love to every Oxford St in Australia, and invented a word about bad mobile phone etiquette that’s now in the dictionary. More recently, he was part of the team that remotely executed a 17 fleet flotilla for the United Nations that escorted Greta Thunberg into the NY Harbour, to raise awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Matt has judged on award show panels internationally and locally, and his work has been recognised at every major advertising festival around the world. Most notably, a Yellow Pencil at D&AD, a Cannes Grand Prix for Effectiveness, 11 Cannes Lions, three Grand Prix at Spikes Asia, and Best of Show at the London International Design Awards. He also had two campaigns in the WARC 100 Top Campaigns in the world, with over 300 awards and recognitions in his career.

In the 2019 Holmes Report, Matt was named as one of the Top 25 Innovators in communication for Asia Pacific, alongside a fellow kiwi, NZ Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

Matt is also heavily involved in junior creative development as a past tutor for Award School, mentor for MADC Raw, and is a current member of the Industry Advisory Board for the RMIT University BCom degree. He also helped launch TBWA’s first apprenticeship program, now into it’s third year running.