June 2022 | Sydney

Mandie van der Merwe

Mandie van der Merwe is a creative director at Cummins&Partners Sydney. Over the last 15 years, she has worked on 3 continents and has been recognised more than 70 times at major local and international award shows, including Cannes, One Show, AWARD and the Australian Effies.

After graduating from art school in Pretoria (South Africa), Mandie, much to the chagrine of her purist art friends, sold her soul to advertising. But, over the span of her career, she’s bought it back. The payment has been made, painstakingly, with an unwavering ideal that we can change business and social problems with great ideas and the care, will and pride to execute them beautifully.

It is this belief that has guided her work on some of the world’s most loved brands, including Fox Sports, Nando’s, Tourism New Zealand, David Jones, MINI and Virgin Money. Most recently, her controversial work on ‘Stop The Horror’ – a campaign to convince Victorian politicians to vote in favour of voluntary assisted dying – dramatises her creative philosphy, in the most harrowing way.

Beyond the world of advertising, Mandie is a maker. She is an enthusiastic ceramicist and hopes, one day, to own a kiln and have the time to use it.

All Sessions By Mandie van der Merwe

Attracting diverse talent into advertising and media
Mid-morning sessions 11:25-11:40
CMOs Panel: Leveraging the opportunities of multicultural Australia
Mid-morning sessions 11:40-12:15