Sydney, Australia – The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) has announced the newest members of its guiding council (GC) following its latest member elections. The elections covering half of the Council were the inaugural executives since AiMCO was established in 2019. The remaining councilors are due for re-election in 2022. 

The new members are namely Natalie Giddings, CEO at Hoozu; Jacqui Capel, general manager at Squad by Mamamia and Tegan Boorman, founder at Social Law Co., along with returning council members – Anthony Richardson from Q83, Ben Mayor from We Are Social, Sarah Letts from Totally Awesome, Sam Kelly from Hello Social, and Stephen von Muenster from Von Muenster Legal.

Other members of the council include Detch Singh from Hypetap, and the current chair of the council; Patrick Whitnall as the current deputy chair; Ben McGarth from VAMP, Jamie Taylor from Havas Media; Kylie Green from The Lime Agency; Sharyn Smith from Social Soup; Shivani Maharaj from Wavemaker; Simone Landes from The Lifestyle Suite; and Steph Pearson from OMD Create.

The guiding council oversees the strategy and direction for AiMCO and its initiatives, working with the membership to activate working groups and programs. With membership growing to more than 75 members this year, the Australian influencer marketing body has shown its commitment to building confidence and accountability, establishing a presence and voice for the channel.

Furthermore, the council has overseen the review and update to AiMCO’s Code of Practice, and the development of a guide to gifting linked to influencers, as well as a reference cheat sheet for guidelines on social media posts as advertisements. The council also shared that it was slated to oversee the creation and delivery of 16 member webinars and podcasts, as well as the launch of the AiMCO Awards to be held on February 24, 2022. 

“AiMCO’s Guiding Council represents companies from across the influencer marketing community with 17 members that guide the overall direction and activities of AiMCO for the year ahead,” the council stated.

Speaking about the appointment, Capel said, “I am very excited to join the Guiding Council and be a part of this team of passionate experts and leaders. It’s an amazing time to be a part of the Influencer industry in Australia as it grows from strength to strength.”

Meanwhile, Giddings commented, “The influencer industry in Australia is evolving at a rapid pace and navigating the best approach for brands can be daunting. Joining such an industry-wide initiative is very exciting for me. It has long been my desire to come alongside creators and brands to deceiver the best partnerships that truly deliver results.”

AiMCO’s roster of 74 members were invited to nominate for the vacant seats with a competitive and close election process ensuing.

Boorman stated, “My appointment to the Guiding Council is a logical extension to my continued involvement with AiMCO since it’s formation in 2019. I look forward to continuing to work with the exceptional industry leaders appointed to the Guiding Council, as well as the AiMCO members involved in various working groups, towards creating a more transparent and matured influencer marketing industry well into the future.”