James Bilaver Email & Phone Number

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Managed a cross-functional and multi-disciplinary team of up to 20 amazing advertising professionals servicing Optus. I consider this one of the best teams I have had the privilege to work with and I am exceptionally proud of what we achieved together over six years.As the business lead I was charged with the overseeing all aspects of the account - client relationship, growth, profitability and day-to-day project management. Projects Including, but not limited to:- Communication… Show more Managed a cross-functional and multi-disciplinary team of up to 20 amazing advertising professionals servicing Optus. I consider this one of the best teams I have had the privilege to work with and I am exceptionally proud of what we achieved together over six years.As the business lead I was charged with the overseeing all aspects of the account - client relationship, growth, profitability and day-to-day project management. Projects Including, but not limited to:- Communication campaign development- Programmatic advertising- Dynamic advertising development- Brand development- Logo / Design- UX/UI- App DevelopmentWith a focus on digital communications across acquisition and customer marketing for Optus' Consumer and Business divisions, we were able to double our remit over the six years - growing the team ~2.5x and billings by ~2.2x. Our client satisfaction survey results maintained a consistent level of >80% over the six years, including a >90% score in 2020/21 - an exceptional result amidst the complexities of WFH. With a strong focus on change management and team culture, we maintained exceptional staff tenure levels over the period of my employment (above industry average) and were able to adapt to the rigours of WFH whilst maintaining a high level of service for our clients. Show less

South Melbourne

During my tenure at Whybin\TBWA I have had the pleasure of managing the account service team for the Australia Retail Division of ANZ. We were responsible for the delivery of all the national retail campaigns across various business segments. Each campaign was fully-integrated, with deliverables ranging from in-store to diverse multi-screen strategies.

Australia Electoral CommissionAfter having brought to life the 2006 Victorian Electoral Commission campaign, I had the opportunity to work on the Australian Electoral Commission campaign in 2013. A highly demanding campaign, that requires a careful eye for detail and very little room for error. The campaign comprised of three stages across numerous touch-points. FMCG - Lion (Fresh Diary Division), SchweppesI joined BMF on the back of poor agency review with Lion. These results… Show more Australia Electoral CommissionAfter having brought to life the 2006 Victorian Electoral Commission campaign, I had the opportunity to work on the Australian Electoral Commission campaign in 2013. A highly demanding campaign, that requires a careful eye for detail and very little room for error. The campaign comprised of three stages across numerous touch-points. FMCG - Lion (Fresh Diary Division), SchweppesI joined BMF on the back of poor agency review with Lion. These results were directly attributed to the Fresh Diary team and their poor relationship with the brand managers on the business. Within six months I had helped lead my team to the best review with Lion that they had ever had. I was intimately involved in all aspects of the Yoplait re-launch. This was considered to be the largest launch for the Lion Dairy and Beverages team in that calendar year. The difficult task of managing stakeholders both locally and abroad came with its own challenges; however the launch was ultimately a success, hitting two 30-year-old sales records in the process.I also had the privilege to manage an Australian icon in SOLO whilst working on Schweppes and helped to launch the, now, long running campaign for Cool Ridge. The highlight working with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to create our Cool Ridge characters.Techtronic IndustriesWith a small marketing department the agency was a key strategic business partner. As a result my role was very much on the fence of being a part of their marketing team and a communications partner. This resulted in some fantastic strategy and some interesting communication – with our work on AEG even having featured at a number of independent surf film festivals. During my time we also helped grow one brand from a $4m to $12m business. Show less

Kraft (Vegemite, Kraft Cheese portfolio)At the time of joining the Kraft team the agency/client relationship was considered to be unstable. Within my time there we managed to build a very strong foundation of trust with the client, grow the business organically and receive the best agency review in recent times. I was very fortunate to manage the Vegemite brand and campaign development - managing five other agency partners as the lead agency and working on secondment for an interim… Show more Kraft (Vegemite, Kraft Cheese portfolio)At the time of joining the Kraft team the agency/client relationship was considered to be unstable. Within my time there we managed to build a very strong foundation of trust with the client, grow the business organically and receive the best agency review in recent times. I was very fortunate to manage the Vegemite brand and campaign development - managing five other agency partners as the lead agency and working on secondment for an interim period when marketing resources were at capacity. Department of JusticeContinuing to build on my experience with government and social marketing campaigns, I worked with the DOJ to develop their problem gambling messages. This work resulted in a number of very successful campaigns and some fantastic creative initiatives (including a Spikes Asia award for our outdoor billboards). Show less

Simplot (Birds Eye, I&J, Edgell)I joined BWM as a foundation staff member in their Melbourne (start-up) office. In this time I helped to develop and implement procedures to ensure successful project management and trafficking of work through the Sydney office.

During my time at Grey I gained a wide array of experience in marketing communications. Having started on retail with Mitre 10, I quickly established myself within the agency and was presented with a number of new opportunities. FMCG clients during my time at Grey included Simplot, working primarily on John West, and Proctor & Gamble on Pringles. Grey, for a better part of two decades were renowned for being the best social marketers. So it was a privilege to learn this craft from some… Show more During my time at Grey I gained a wide array of experience in marketing communications. Having started on retail with Mitre 10, I quickly established myself within the agency and was presented with a number of new opportunities. FMCG clients during my time at Grey included Simplot, working primarily on John West, and Proctor & Gamble on Pringles. Grey, for a better part of two decades were renowned for being the best social marketers. So it was a privilege to learn this craft from some of the smartest in the industry, across a number of campaigns for Worksafe Victoria and the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment. Show less

Bachelor'S Degree, Marketing

Ma, Communication

Masters Of Communication, Advertising

Ba, Marketing