In September, INMA awarded 30 young professionals around the world with its fifth “30 Under 30” award as part of its Young Professionals Initiative. This is the 10th in a series of 30 features about the impressive rising media stars who are shaping our industry.

Marcus Billingham-Yuen is making a name for himself as a creative problem-solver who can deliver lasting strategic results.

Over the past year, Marcus has showcased his commercial prowess by delivering more than 50 strategic responses for 32 brands across 11 categories, delivering a value worth more than A$20 million. Additionally, his proactive approach has generated A$800,000 in commercial opportunities through tailored research, addressing business challenges for 28 clients.

Marcus’s contributions have not gone unnoticed: He was nominated as a finalist for Agency Executive of the Year at Financial Standard’s MAX Awards 2022, named a finalist in the Strategy category for B&T’s 30 Under 30 in 2024, and shortlisted for Mediaweek’s Next of the Best 2024 in the Media Marketing category. His work has been profiled in AdNews and is a regular blogger for INMA’s Digital Strategies blog, focusing on B2B and marketing science.

While he is gaining attention for his results, Marcus maintains that his accomplishments are part of a bigger picture:

“Fundamentally, hard work, luck and great mentors, teams, clients and media partners, both past and present, have allowed me to blaze a career path with outcomes at each step,” he said.

Collaboration plays a pivotal role in his success, and he said that is what helped him design three go-to-market strategies for nationwide brands for News Corp Australia.

Working with product, editorial, and sales, he delivered commercial partnerships including the SuperCoach Fantasy 2024 Sports Partnership, The Australian 60th Anniversary Year Partnership, and the Foxtel Hubbl Streaming Partnership. These initiatives have driven multi-million-dollar revenue and delivered significant results for clients.

“I’m proud of these three partnerships because I learned how to solve a brand’s business problems with our initiatives, leveraging strategic thinking to find creative thinking that can be applied every day no matter the scope of the challenge,” he said.

That collaborative approach extends to thought leadership, where he has co-produced white papers such as “Navigating The Mindset Divide” and “Selling Fashion Online in Australia.” Internally, Marcus has developed training resources and strategic guides, including a Gen Z Playbook and a Cultural Moments framework, to inspire creativity and upskill his peers and junior staff.

“My professional purpose is solving complex problems with creativity,” Marcus said, adding that he hopes to coach and mentor others in using imagination to solve challenges.

“These ways are modelled after my tribe of mentors who have invested their time and experience into me, because I want to pay it forward to the next generation of media professionals.”

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