Kristie Atkins takes helm of Australian Marketing Institute as new chair

The Australian Marketing Institute has appointed Kristie Atkins, managing director of Wink and long-time AMI fellow, as its new chair following Andrew Thornton’s decade-long tenure on the board.

Atkins, a multi-award-winning commercial growth leader and former Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) of the Year, succeeds Thornton, who served seven years as chair and three as deputy chair.

The announcement coincides with the election of four new member-appointed directors: Maria De Conno (Fig Tree Digital), Chelsea Wymer (Chartered Accountants ANZ), Nikki Atack (Pentanet) and James Keeler (Mowbray Park Consulting).

AMI CEO Bronwyn Heys said the appointments reinforce the institute’s commitment to “igniting brilliance across the profession” through its Competency Assessment Tool, professional development and CPM program.

“With the appointment of our new chair and directors, AMI reaffirms its commitment to ensuring marketers across Australia remain relevant, proficient and future-ready,” Heys said.

"I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our outgoing Chair, Andrew Thornton, for his tireless leadership and enduring contribution to AMI and the marketing community.”

Atkins’ background includes senior leadership roles at Village Roadshow, Waivpay, Ovato and Event Hospitality & Entertainment, alongside non-executive directorships with the Hunter Medical Research Institute and digital marketplace Vennu.

The board refresh comes as AMI pushes deeper into capability frameworks and certification standards to help Australian marketers navigate the accelerating impact of AI, data ethics and organisational change.