Incoming ADMA chair says it’s time to 'reestablish marketing' at the heart of business

The Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising has appointed seasoned marketing leader David Morgan as chair of its advisory board, as the organisation moves to strengthen industry capability and reaffirm marketing’s role in business growth.

Morgan, the former global CMO of Standard Chartered, replaces long-serving chair Steve Brennen, who has stepped into the role of vice chair after more than a decade in the top position. Morgan has called on the industry to reset and re-establish marketing as a core driver of business success, warning the discipline has lost ground amid a decade of disruption.

“We have to communicate and we have to establish - and in some cases reestablish - marketing as integral to business success,” Morgan said. “If we look at why that is questionable in some parts of our industry right now, it’s because of all of the disruption and the distractions we’ve had over the last 10 years. But we have to build that back.”

Morgan’s appointment comes at a critical time for Australian marketers, who face a new wave of challenges - from tightening privacy laws and ethical AI use, to widening skills gaps and increasing pressure to demonstrate commercial impact. His appointment also signals an intent to double down on capability building and advocacy at a time when, as Morgan puts it, “marketing’s role in driving business outcomes needs to be reasserted.”

Doubling down on capability and compliance

ADMA CEO Andrea Martens said the association is entering a new chapter, with a sharp focus on lifting industry standards and preparing marketers for one of the most complex and heavily regulated periods in decades.

“This is a critical moment for our industry,” Martens said. “The pace of change is accelerating, and the expectations on marketers are rising. Marketers are now operating in a completely different risk environment than they were even 18 months ago.”

Martens outlined two clear strategic priorities: building capability at scale and ensuring the industry is ready for significant regulatory reform, particularly around privacy, consent, and ethical data use.

“We don’t see complexity as something to be feared,” she said. “We lean into it because it allows us to shape what’s next. Our mission is to reimagine and enable the marketing and advertising industry of the future, with data at its core.”

Under Brennen’s leadership, ADMA was instrumental in helping shape industry consultation on Australia’s privacy reforms, while also launching the Capability Compass - an evidence-based skills assessment tool aimed at identifying gaps across marketing teams. The association plans to release a State of the Nation benchmark report later this year, mapping the skills strengths and weaknesses of Australian marketers.

Marketers need to lead from the front

Martens stressed that marketers can no longer treat compliance as an afterthought.

“There is a rising pressure around ethical AI, dark patterns, and data use. Marketers are no longer adjacent to compliance — they are very much at the centre of it,” she said. “Handled well, this regulatory change will become a driver of trust and long-term brand value.”

For Morgan, who has trained thousands of marketers globally, the challenge is also an opportunity to lift the industry’s capability and standing within the business community.

“This moment demands that we empower marketers to lead growth, drive strategy, and prove the commercial impact of marketing,” he said. “That is where ADMA will be focused.”

With sweeping change across data, technology, regulation, and skills, the industry body is positioning itself as a trusted partner to help Australian marketers not only keep up - but lead from the front.