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Penny Burke is an award-winning marketing strategist, facilitator and author. She is the strategic mind behind many of Australia’s longest-running and most effective television advertising campaigns, with a career spanning 25 years across Melbourne, Sydney and London.
Prior to founding Essence Communications, Penny spent 12 years at Clemenger BBDO as Strategy Planning Director, where she oversaw strategic development for major national and international communications projects. Her work has covered a broad range of sectors, including packaged goods, retail, services, social marketing and government, giving her a deep understanding of complex stakeholder environments and how to manage them productively.
Penny is the author of Forced Focus – The Essence of Attracting and Retaining the Best People and is widely respected for her ability to combine rigorous marketing theory with practical, real-world insight. She conducts numerous focus groups each year across diverse demographics and is highly attuned to the drivers behind segment behaviour and stereotypes.
In addition to her consulting work, Penny facilitates strategy sessions, workshops and leadership forums for a wide range of organisations. She is known for her ability to bring alignment, clarity and forward momentum to groups with competing perspectives, helping teams reach agreement and develop actionable plans.
Penny holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and has lectured and tutored at RMIT University, Monash University and Swinburne University. She sits on the board of Kennards Hire and is a full member of the Australian Market & Social Research Society (AMSRS).
