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Young talent blazes a trail

Digital performance specialist Emi Cross has just begun her career journey. The path ahead is bright.

Emi Cross ticks all the boxes for a Marketer of the Future. Joining Maverick Tourism Marketing straight from university, she has brought fresh perspectives and an ever-growing passion for tourism. She has quickly developed her skillset across paid media, analytics and creative strategy, applying new knowledge with speed
and confidence. 

Now known for turning data into high-performing, insight-led campaigns, Cross leads end-to-end paid media across Google, Meta and TikTok, balancing analytical thinking with creative execution. 

“She doesn’t just report on numbers,” says her team. “She interprets them, identifies opportunities and translates insights into smarter campaign decisions that drive growth.”

What truly sets Cross apart is her initiative, they add. She is proactive with her various stakeholders, consistently bringing forward ideas that are often ahead of the curve. In a seasonal industry like tourism, where timing is critical, her ability to anticipate opportunities and act at the right moment has earned strong trust and feedback
from clients.

Cross is equally proactive internally. During her manager’s nine-month maternity leave, she stepped up to take on extra responsibility, covering the significant gap left by a senior leader with more than 10 years of tourism marketing experience. 

“In a small agency, this was substantial,” says her team. “Emi maintained performance, supported the team and ensured continuity, demonstrating resilience and maturity beyond her experience.”

Over the past 12 months, Cross has been a key driver behind several high-impact marketing initiatives. Her success is underpinned by a consistently solution-focused mindset.

Problem? Solved

When client Southern Discoveries lost a core product following an unexpected weather event, Cross played a central role in navigating the disruption while supporting the launch of four new products to market. 

“Rather than allowing performance to decline, she quickly restructured campaigns, rebalanced spend and refreshed creative to maintain demand,” says her team.

With client Explore Group, Cross tackled a different set of challenges. Across its Auckland and Paihia operations, she worked to minimise wasted ad spend among overlapping audiences and product offerings. By refining campaign structures, tightening targeting and improving budget allocation, she delivered more efficient campaigns and stronger performance.

A natural leader

Beyond showing initiative, Cross demonstrates the leadership qualities expected of a future marketing leader. 

“Her leadership is evident in the way she drives internal improvement,” says the Maverick team.

“She led the creation and enhancement of our briefing process between account managers and performance specialists, introducing automation and clearer structure. This has resulted in more streamlined workflows, stronger alignment across teams and a consistently higher quality and more timely output for clients.”

Cross has also shown leadership in the way Maverick approaches platform evolution, they add.

“Emi has been the instigator behind our creative refresh strategy across Meta accounts, recognising early the challenges around audience targeting.”

By sourcing new tools, developing testing frameworks and leading trials, she has delivered measurable ROI improvements across multiple accounts. Whether improving creative performance or internal operations, her curiosity, drive and leadership make Emi Cross an outstanding emerging talent.

This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 88, Sept-Nov 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.

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Read more stories from issue 88 here.