Senior marketing consultant with 15+ years building, launching and scaling consumer, B2B and tech brands.
About Me
I bring more than 15 years’ experience building, launching, and scaling brands in competitive consumer and tech environments. My career spans Virgin Mobile Australia, Sky UK's NOW TV, nine years at Audible where I progressed to Director of Brand & Content Marketing for APAC, and most recently I headed up marketing for Amazon Business Australia.
I've operated across Australia, the UK, Japan, and India, managing global projects across 11 markets. I know what it takes to navigate complexity — multi-market brand strategy, cross-functional stakeholder environments, fast-moving product launches full of ambiguity and shifting detail.
Currently based in Vancouver, I'm available for senior consulting engagements globally, working with ambitious marketing teams who need an experienced operator to lead or contribute to complex, high-stakes projects.
If you're looking for a sharp, senior marketing mind for a project that needs real expertise, I'd love to talk.
Services
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A full-year marketing plan aligned to your business objectives, brand positioning, and commercial targets. Includes market and competitive landscape analysis, channel strategy, budget framework, and a campaign calendar built for flexibility without losing focus.
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End-to-end campaign leadership across paid, owned, and earned channels, from creative brief through execution, optimisation, and post-campaign analysis. I've led award-winning campaigns across Australia, the UK, India, and Japan, working with major talent and brand partners, and consistently delivering impact beyond the media budget.
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Identification, negotiation, and activation of brand partnerships that deliver commercial value and brand relevance. I manage the full partnership lifecycle from prospecting and deal structuring through contract negotiation, campaign implementation, and performance optimisation. Past partners include McDonald's, Foxtel, Qantas, and Disney.
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Sponsorship should do more than generate impressions. I develop programs that are commercially grounded and brand-authentic, identifying the right properties, negotiating terms, and building activation plans that extract full value from every partnership. Experience spans content partners, industry organisations, music festivals, and awards programs.
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Structured, rigorous management of agency and partner RFP processes from end to end. I bring experience across multi-million dollar reviews, developing evaluation criteria, managing timelines, running agency briefings, and ensuring the final decision is commercially sound and stakeholder-aligned. Removes the burden from your team without losing strategic control.
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Strategic communications planning across external PR, social media, and internal channels. I develop the messaging architecture first — key messages, positioning statements, PR FAQs, reactive frameworks, spokesperson guidelines — then build the plan around it. Available for ongoing communications strategy or specific moments.
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When you need a senior marketing leader in the room, not a junior pair of hands. I embed with your team to provide strategic direction, people leadership, or project ownership during periods of growth, transition, or resourcing gaps. Flexible engagement models available including retainer, project-based, or fractional CMO arrangements.
“There’s only a handful of people in your career that stick with you and that you would actively poach when moving businesses, Mel is one of them. Mel is a senior marketer with an incredible understanding of consumer behaviour and what it takes to grow brands, she is highly strategic with the ability to turn data into meaningful action. Mel can operate at an executive level but is also not afraid to get her hands dirty to see projects through.
One of Mel’s superpowers is her ability to quickly form relationships and build trust, Mel takes the time to understand perspectives before forming opinions, ensuring she brings people on the journey, driving alignment and cohesion amongst stakeholders which allows her projects to be delivered effectively and efficiently.”
— Polly Blenkinship, Global Head of Brand Media, Board Director Audible Australia
What People Are Saying
“Melissa is a true agency partner. She works without ego, is relentlessly solutions focused, and consistently delivers results, often navigating the complexity of contracting high-profile talent and multiple stakeholders with calm professionalism. Collaboration is one of the most underrated skills in our industry, and it comes naturally to Melissa.
Melissa is calm under pressure, understands that great ideas are rarely born through a linear process, and has an instinct for recognising potential in ideas before they're fully formed. That combination makes her an exceptional client partner and someone I would happily recommend.”
— Simon Joyce, Emotive Founder and CEO
“Melissa is one of those rare marketers who can hold both worlds at once. She brings bold, creative thinking to leadership conversations while remaining genuinely data obsessed. She has a natural ability to bring people along with her, managing complex stakeholder groups ease. Her insights work is rich and rigorous, and she translates it into storytelling that actually lands. Honest, intelligent, and deeply capable, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.”
— James Finn, SVP Global Head of Brand & Content Marketing, Audible
“Melissa was the marketing lead of Amazon Business Australia, with her role covering launch strategy, brand positioning, paid media, earned and owned channels, across both acquisition and engagement. From the moment Melissa joined the team, it was clear she was a unicorn marketer – equally comfortable presenting strategy to senior Amazon leadership, building and merchandising the Amazon Business website, engaging with agencies and partner teams, diving into the metrics, and leading a team of marketers.
Melissa brings an air of calm and clarity to her work, but goes above and beyond in everything she touches. She is an expert at navigating ambiguity and rapid change, can comfortably influence stakeholders and peers, and I would welcome the chance to work with her again in any capacity.”
— Lena Zak, Country Manager, Amazon Business Australia
Your fractional senior marketing consultant, ready to tackle complex business challenges with creativity, strategy and data.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Getting started is simple. Reach out through my contact form or schedule a call—i’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.
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I’ve worked for some of the world’s most successful brands and IPs, growing market segments and appealing to both broad and niche audiences. I am a strategic thinker who sees the big picture but I also obsess over the finer details and balance strategy with creative execution. I am very comfortable building from zero-to-one, but I’m also happy optimising existing approaches and finding the next growth opportunity.
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I’m action-oriented and like to ask questions to ensure we’re aligned. You’ll find me dynamic, hard-working and fairly straight-shooting in my approach. I love wry humour , the occasional pun and am a grammar nut. I also love context, so providing broader context ensures the best outcome. You can never over-share with me!
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You can reach me anytime via my contact page or email (melissaloleary@gmail.com). I aim to respond quickly—usually within 48 hours.
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I offer flexible pricing based on project type and complexity. After an initial conversation, I will provide a transparent quote with no hidden costs. I can work on a project basis or a fixed term contract, depending on requirements.
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I’m a mother to twin 4 year old daughters and a spoodle called Winston. I love yoga and working out, and have recently taken up running and sewing. I speak conversational french and have lived there twice. Currently i’m living in Vancouver and am exploring the best hiking and whale watching Canada has to offer.
Let’s Work Together
Need help with a marketing challenge?
Contact me today to schedule a free no-obligation 30-minute chat.
