| Winner | Matthew Pickering |
| Job title & company | General Manager Marketing, ANZ Bank New Zealand |
| Finalists | Bríd Drohan-Stewart – Woolworths NZ, Cath Brands – Flintfox, Dave Pearce – 2degrees, Fraser Shrimpton – DB Breweries, Leanne Too – Restaurant Brands, PJ Morris – Fletcher Building, Susanne Hardy – Toyota NZ |
| Judges’ comments | “This year was an exemplary field of incredible marketers, which challenged the judges to find the 2025 Marketer of the Year. Matthew is a humble, considered and strategic marketer who elevates his team, the industry and empowers the next generation of marketers. His long-term commitment to the marketing community and to marketing leadership was a stand out. He has set the frameworks and structure to allow his team to take a long term view of marketing, providing the conditions for creativity to flourish. He showed the judges how he has built trust within the business over several years, achieving outstanding brand-led business results in a highly competitive and complicated category. When the judges met Matthew, they were impressed by his mana, his calm demeanour and his commitment to marketing.” |
A leader ANZ can bank on
Matthew Pickering has driven a remarkable turnaround during his long term at the helm of ANZ’s marketing team, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
In his 13 years at ANZ Bank New Zealand, Matthew Pickering has led its brand journey from the lowest performing in market to clear category leadership. And the gap to the following pack continues to widen.
As the GM of ANZ’s powerhouse marketing team – one of the largest and most capable in New Zealand – he unites technical, data, campaign and creative talent to deliver real business impact.
Pickering is a rare marketer who combines creativity, strategic leadership and commercial acumen to deliver lasting brand strength.
Since joining ANZ in 2012, he has championed a customer-first, insight-driven marketing approach. He led the historic National Bank/ANZ merger campaign and helped rebuild brand trust from the ground up.
This change signalled the beginning of a transformation journey. It also marked a commitment to strategic marketing principles that have directly driven much of ANZ’s success. Today, ANZ stands as one of Aotearoa’s most recognised and respected brands.
Lead with impact
Pickering has cultivated a high-performing, effectiveness-focused marketing culture. He has picked up trophies from the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards to Cannes Lions. Meanwhile, he has ensured measurable improvements in brand consideration, return on marketing investment and creativity.
In a sector known for leadership churn, he has built a tight-knit group at the helm.
In 2020, Pickering launched a new brand strategy built around the ‘We Do How’ proposition and the Sharma family creative platform.
It is now firmly embedded in New Zealand’s culture and regularly featured among TRA’s most-loved ads. It has become ANZ’s most effective campaign ever.
Shayne Elliott, ANZ Group CEO, calls it: “The best bank advertising I have seen throughout my career.”
Pickering has also championed the power of sponsorships to build brand affinity. Most recently, this was demonstrated through the highly successful Auckland FC partnership.
Who won, who they were up against and what the judges had to say.
We bring you all the details for every category in the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards 2025.
Progressive brand vision
In a traditionally conservative category, he has driven a progressive brand vision that reflects modern New Zealand, with the Sharma family often praised for its diversity and inclusion.
ANZ had a landmark year for industry recognition in 2024, reflecting the marketing excellence culture Pickering has built. The bank was Brand of the Year at the 2024 YouTube NZ Marketing Awards, alongside wins for Excellence in Sponsorship and Excellence in Marketing Communications.
At the 2024 Effie Awards, ANZ secured both the Grand Effie and Sustained Success titles, and was ranked in the top 10 globally by WARC at the IPA Marketing Effectiveness Awards.
In tandem with these achievements, Pickering led a successful marketing operating model refresh – embedding collaborative, multi-disciplinary thinking across customer journeys and raising the standard across every craft.
Passionate about people development, he’s also proud to have promoted emerging talent into leadership roles.
Wider role
Beyond ANZ, Pickering has led initiatives to address social media fraud and scams, and advocated for a stronger New Zealand media landscape.
A long-time supporter of the Marketing Association, he has served as a judge, speaker, mentor, special interest group member and board director – consistently giving back.
Known for building high-performing teams, Pickering has championed the importance of marketing for long-term brand building while advocating for the local media industry.
“Matt’s leadership of the marketing team has brought a strong focus on commercial outcomes that is well respected around the executive table, as well as a reputation for innovative work that has propelled our brand to number one,” says Antonia Watson, ANZ CEO.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 84, Sept-Nov 2025. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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