Media and marketing executive Sunita Gloster has been appointed to the AM order in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
An influential advertising professional, she is known for her advocacy campaigns for the empowerment of women and girls, the acceleration of progress against gender inequalities.
In one such campaign in 2021 that she created and launched for UN Women Australia, she asked one simple question that no Australian could ignore: ‘When Will She Be Right?’
The campaign quickly became a social movement.
Describing it, Sunita says, “At the March for Justice in 2021 I saw a young woman carrying a placard on which she had written ‘When Will She Be Right?’. That was our campaign line. Seeing our slogan with its cultural meaning and timely agitation run on TV and billboards and then resonate and be carried by people in the street reminded me of the enormous impact the media and marketing sector can and does have. And how it can be a force for good.”
Using her skills and experience to contribute to catalysing change in society motivates Sunita Gloster. She is energised by the process of inspiring and galvanising people to act.
“Truly powerful marketing uses empathy and emotion to connect,” says Sunita. “It can create change and has the power to improve people’s lives and our planet. Making that kind of impact is why I love my profession.”
Sunita has held senior leadership roles in Australia and internationally including WPP AUNZ, PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, Australian Association of National Advertisers, M&C Saatchi, and Lowe and Partners Worldwide.
The founder of business consulting firm Gloster Advisory, Sunita is also a Senior Advisor for Accenture Australia, UN Women Australia, UN Global Compact Network Australia, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, and Co-Chair of Media and Marketing, Tech Council of Australia.
The AM honour tops off an impressive list of awards for her industry contributions. These include twice listed in ‘Top 35 Business woman under 35’ in the UK, Europe’s ‘Top 40 Marketing Professional under 40’, and Australia’s Top 30 Powerful Women in Media for eight years.
She is a regular public speaker, a panelist on ABC TV show Gruen and a columnist across the media and marketing sector.
“My parents Betty and John D’Souza OAM brought me from India to Australia in 1974 after the final vestiges of the White Australia Policy were abolished, for the promise of a better life for me. We left Bombay to settle in Mt Gambier. I can’t imagine the courage that took. I’m so grateful for all the sacrifices my parents made for my future. And I must acknowledge the community of Mt Gambier, which 49 years later my parents still call home, for welcoming us into their lives and to Australia.”
Sunita says it is a special feeling to be told that someone out there thought she had made enough of a difference to nominate her for an Order of Australia honour.
“I have long championed the power of marketing. I love that this honour recognises the power of marketing as a force for good.”
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