The International News Media Association (INMA) has honoured 30 young professionals as rising stars in the news media industry in its annual 30 Under 30 Awards.
The 30 Under 30 Awards is part of INMA’s Young Professionals Initiative, and this year’s competition garnered 140 applications. Winners came from 16 different countries.
Now in its fifth year, members of the association’s Young Professionals Committee reviewed applications and voted on five award recipients in six categories: Advertising, Data, Editorial, Reader Revenue, Leadership, and Product.
Executives from News Corp Australia and SBS were among the 30 recipients.
In the Advertising category:
Marcus Billingham-Yuen, Client Strategy Manager, News Corp Australia
In the Editorial category:
Kathleen Farmilo, Social Media Producer, SBS News, Australia
Judges selected candidates who are under the age of 30, employed by a news media company, big picture thinker with an ability to shape the news media industry, demonstrated expertise and accomplishments, and soft skills that make a great leader.
“INMA is proud to elevate these impressive professionals in our fifth class of 30 under 30 honourees,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “The world of news media is changing rapidly, and these are the leaders we want at the helm during this transformation.”
Beyond global recognition, INMA 30 Under 30 Awards recipients receive:
Membership to INMA for one year
Free access to two INMA Master Classes
A complimentary ticket to INMA’s Media Innovation Week
INMA 30 under 30: Marcus Billingham-Yuen and Kathleen Farmilo
INMA biographies on the two Aussies
Marcus Billingham-Yuen: As client strategy manager at News Corp Australia, Marcus Billingham-Yuen loves nothing more than flexing his creative muscles to solve complex challenges. That has become his superpower of sorts, and over the past year he has delivered more than 50 strategic responses for 32 brands across 11 categories, valued at over AUS$20 million. His proactive approach has generated AUS$800,000 in commercial opportunities through his tailored research that addresses specific business problems for clients.
“Marcus represents a rare combination that offers insightful thinking to every room,” said Harriet Nash, client strategy director at News Corp Australia. “He is an out-of-the-box thinker, and his strengths commercially earned the nickname ‘Baby Genius.’” Using his skill for recognising new opportunities and developing solutions for existing problems, Marcus has created training resources that are now used within News Corp Australia. He also has contributed to thought leadership whitepapers and is passionate about laying the groundwork for the next generation of media professionals: “We can improve the media industry using industry development programmes to equip young publishers to better solve the problems of tomorrow, today.”
Kathleen Farmilo’s career has been shaped by high-stakes news events. While attending the University of Oxford, she interned at the New Statesman during the pivotal post-Brexit negotiations. Then, while earning her master’s degree, she navigated the challenges of reporting during a global pandemic. In her current role as social media producer at SBS News, she pitches stories to the social team and the newsroom, transforming Web site articles into engaging social media posts. “I look for editorial opportunities other newsrooms may be missing, pitching stories to the team with our social audience in mind,” she said.
After contracting COVID-19 a third time, her story on why people are reinfected attracted more than 386,000 views and established SBS as a leader in COVID-19 coverage. “Kathleen consistently seeks new challenges and helps to build a culture of happy chaos in the best way possible,” said Cathryn Boyes, SBS News social lead. “Kath is always finding new ways to make her day job more interesting and introduced crucial elements to our success with young people on social media.”