We’re stoked to announce the newest member of batyr’s board! Melissa Hopkins has been appointed a non-executive director, bringing with her a tonne of experience from the corporate world and a passion for mental health.
Melissa is kind of a big deal, currently working as Optus’ Head of Consumer Marketing, CMO, and leading the team for all customer-facing marketing and engagement. Since joining Optus in 2016, the mobile giant has been recognised as Australia’s strongest brand (Brand Finance), and Melissa herself was named in CMO50 2020, which recognises Australia’s most innovative marketing leaders.
“It took me many years to talk about my own journey with mental-ill health due to the stigma surrounding it that’s embedded within our society. I’m so excited to be joining an organisation that’s focused on encouraging open and honest conversations among young people to change this,” Melissa said.
“I want to help take batyr’s brand to new heights so that we can make a positive and long-lasting impact in the mental health space, ensuring young people feel empowered to speak up and reach out for support if they need it.”
Melissa, the self-confessed tech-freak, was previously the Global Head of Brand for Vodafone in London and has led brands such as Absolut Vodka, the British Army, Nestle and Fujitsu. Melissa has lived and worked across Europe, Asia Pacific, the U.S and the Middle East.
“I’m really happy to welcome Melissa to batyr’s board. It’s exciting when people like Mel see the work being done at batyr and want to get involved,” batyr CEO Nic Brown said.
“We know Mel’s skills, passion and expertise will add fresh insight and perspective to the batyr Herd in this new role.”
To dig deeper into why we’re so excited to be diversifying batyr’s board through the appointment of Mel, we’ll be hosting a LinkedIn Live with her and Nic to talk about the role of brand in achieving impact, the significance of storytelling, and the importance of connecting corporate expertise with not-for-profits. Watch this space for details.
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