Discovery: AI & Search Summit

Strategy and Insights Lead, Amazon Ads, Australia

With nearly two decades across digital strategy, enterprise transformation, and behavioural sciences, Aneeket translates complex data into insights that drive real business growth. Previously Principal Digital Strategist at Adobe APAC, he's held leadership roles at OMD, Havas, and AKQA, and is a keynote speaker at Adobe Summit, Mumbrella 360, and AWS Summit.  

Group Client Director, Kantar

Victoria Fedotova is Group Client Director at Kantar New Zealand. She helps organisations translate customer and market insight into growth opportunities, working with leading brands across tourism, financial services, telecommunications, FMCG, retail, and automotive to shape customer, brand, and marketing strategies that deliver measurable impact.

GTM - Ads Solutions, OpenAI

Mitch Pilar is a founding member of OpenAI’s GTM Ads Solutions team, helping businesses across New Zealand and Australia navigate how AI is reshaping discovery, decision-making and brand engagement. He joins OpenAI as the company continues to build its commercial capabilities and deepen its engagement with enterprise customers globally. 

Head of Performance, Google NZ

As Head of Performance, Nikki partners with leading Kiwi advertisers and their agencies to drive business growth and navigate the changing digital landscape. She brings a wealth of strategic insight to the industry; with 20 years of digital marketing experience in agency and in-house roles across NZ and Canada. Nikki will unpack the future of search; exploring Google’s evolving, AI-powered ecosystem and what it means for marketers.

Head of Solutions and Expertise, Kantar

Jason Schoeman is Head of Solutions and Expertise at Kantar New Zealand, where he helps brands turn data into growth. He specialises in media, AI-driven insights and creative effectiveness, working closely with clients to navigate changing consumer behaviour and deliver measurable impact through smarter marketing strategies. 

Founder & CEO, Pure SEO & The Optimisers

Richard Conway is the founder and CEO of The Optimisers, a native GEO, AEO and Agentic Search agency in New Zealand and Australia. He’s also the author of 'How to Get to the Top of Google Search' (Penguin Random House), a Gold IAB Award winner (Service to The Industry), and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.  

Sales Director, Taboola

Joe has 20 years' experience in digital advertising, and has been with Taboola for the last seven years in sales director roles across Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He specialises in content marketing, and helping brands reach engaged users beyond traditional paid search. Joe has worked with marketing teams in multiple markets, focusing on connecting content strategy with measurable business outcomes. 

Co-Founder, Pattern

Rowan Schaaf is co-founder of Pattern, an AI-native software agency in Auckland. Pattern builds and operates inside the shift to agent-mediated work exploring what changes when agents sit between companies and the tools, vendors and information they rely on, rather than humans doing the reaching.

Head of Search, MBM

Jill is Head of Search at MBM, bringing more than 15 years’ experience across New Zealand’s agency landscape. She has deep expertise in paid search and SEO, with a strong track record of delivering strategic, performance-driven digital marketing solutions for leading Kiwi brands.

Senior Lecturer, Digital Marketing University of Auckland Business School

Dr. Shahper Richter is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Auckland. She works at the intersection of digital marketing, education and emerging technologies. With a strong focus on making AI understandable and usable in real-world settings, Shahper brings a practical, down-to-earth approach to conversations about digital change.

Broadcaster & Media Personality

Much loved broadcaster and media personality Mike Puru is one of New Zealand’s most recognised and respected broadcasters. Best known for his twenty-year tenure as a host on The Edge radio station, Mike has been a constant voice in Kiwi households for over two decades and you can currently find him on The Breeze Drive 3-7pm weekdays.