Yahoo’s industry-leading talent-building program Yahoo Academy is now open for nominations.
Forty lucky participants will get a masterclass in future-proofing their career from world-renowned creative strategists and a husband and wife team, Rosie and Faris Yakob of Genius Steals.
With AI and other emergent technologies already changing job roles and skills-needs across the industry, this year’s Academy program will focus on giving the 40 participants from across Australia and Singapore the tools they need to navigate an exciting future. It will culminate in a one-day workshop in Sydney led by the Genius Steals founders.
John McNerney, managing director of Yahoo AUSEA, said: “Yahoo Academy 2023 promises to be our biggest and most compelling program yet. With so much happening in the world we’re thrilled to have two incredible practitioners in Rosie and Faris joining us to lead what will be a true masterclass in every sense of the word.
“Yahoo Academy is the original and best talent development program in the Aussie industry with a reputation for nurturing the leaders of the future, and I’m so excited to be bringing participants from Singapore to Sydney to benefit from this expertise for the first time. By arming these rising stars with new skills and ways of thinking we’re helping all of our agency partners to adapt and thrive.”
The day will culminate with an exciting group pitch-off competition, with the winners rewarded with an incredible prize – a seven-day trip to a global conference in Sydney in October. In addition, all Yahoo Academy participants will receive a Delegate pass to Advertising Week APAC on August 1 and 2, providing an exceptional three-day experience to fuel growth, shape the future, and make a mark in the industry.
The full-day workshop is being curated and led by Rosie and Faris Yakob, who run the nomadic strategic and creative consultancy, Genius Steals. They work with some of the world’s biggest brands including Coca-Cola, Twinings and Activision, helping them refresh their thinking, ignite innovation and improve their marketing outcomes. Industry veterans and thought-leaders, together they write Strands of Genius, a much loved global newsletter for the creative marketing community, and named by HubSpot as one of the ‘7 Essential Reads for the Curious Creative’.
Rosie and Faris Yakob said: “No-one knows exactly what the future holds, but one thing that is certain is that anything that can be automated will eventually be automated. As AI becomes an increasingly hot topic in the industry and beyond, we believe that the best way to future-proof agencies and careers is to focus on uniquely human attributes, namely creativity and collaboration.
“We believe that workshops, as with all kinds of work, won’t be any good if they aren’t any fun – so we’re really excited to partner with Yahoo to help inspire this group of rising stars, and equip them with the tools and vision to lead our industry into a future we can all get excited about,” they added.
Applicants must have 1-7 years experience and may self-nominate with senior endorsement, or senior leadership may directly nominate talent.
See also: Yahoo Academy 2022 wraps up with a pitch-off for charity Whitelion
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Top image: Rosie and Faris Yakob