John Williams

I am an accomplished executive with extensive expertise in Insights, Strategy, and Innovation. I have broad experience in Brand Development, Sales Management, and Organisational Leadership. As a transformational leader with over 20 years of experience, I have driven growth and innovation across the FMCG, corporate, government, and education sectors. I integrate insights with strategic execution to address complex business challenges, reposition brands, and develop high-performing teams and commercial outcomes.

• Founder & Managing Director, One Small Step Collective/Ground Control Data, 07/01/13, Current, Built and led high-performing, cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability., Developed and executed brand transformation strategies that blend AI-driven insights with compelling storytelling, ensuring strong market positioning and differentiation., Led the creation of impactful brand and creative campaigns, aligning data analytics, market research, and human-centred design to optimise engagement and ROI., Integrated Brandwatch, Pi Datametrics, and GWI to deliver real-time, predictive analytics, enabling clients to make data-backed strategic decisions and AI-enabled consumer insights, market trend identification, risk management, and strategic forecasting.
• Director & Founder, Navigate 21 Pty Ltd, Designed frameworks to align sales, marketing, and operations for FMCG and corporate brands., Led strategic and category initiatives for clients including McWilliams Wines, Dulux, Scalzo Foods, and Mars Petfoods.
• Chief Executive Officer, Disegno Group Pty Ltd, Transformed the company from a design agency into a strategic brand and insights partner.
• Group Marketing & Innovation Manager, Detpak Packaging
• Managing Director, SA/NT, Synovate Research
• Retail & Foodservice Development Manager, Fonterra
• Marketing Implementation Manager, Cadbury ANZ
• National Sales Manager, Kraft Foods

• ANZ & CBA, Designed AI-powered risk management frameworks for proactive brand reputation management, ensuring resilience during high-risk periods such as the Royal Commission.
• Aurora Energy, Conducted comprehensive consumer insights research, aligning business strategy with government priorities and community expectations. On the back of the insights developed the creative expression of the Aurora Energy brand.
• Vic Government, Led consumer sentiment analysis during the COVID period, providing insights that influenced policy and public communications.
• Federal Government, Delivered detailed analysis on scams and fraudulent behaviour, driving public awareness campaigns and regulatory improvements.
• Sirena Tuna, Developed a data-driven repositioning strategy that strengthened brand equity, improved consumer engagement, drove product innovation and boosted category performance.
• Fonterra, Led consumer persona development and digital strategy to enhance brand communication across multiple markets.
• Manuka Health, Developed an audience and category strategy, delivering key insights that informed US retail expansion.
• Endota Spa, Conducted market entry research and growth strategy development, supporting successful expansion into USA, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore.
• Don Smallgoods, Delivered product innovation strategies and category insights that enhanced brand development and retail engagement., Monash Food Innovation, Provided AI-powered insights to support innovation and product development strategies.
• RMIT, Designed a student engagement model using data analytics, improving retention rates and student experience.
• Box Hill Institute, Led student experience research, identifying key drivers for engagement and retention, that resulted in the development of an updated campaign and brand positioning.
• Federal Government Green Army Initiative, Developed a creative communications strategy and campaign that exceeded recruitment targets by 32%.
• CBA Social Brand Analysis, Conducted daily risk reporting and recommendations using AI-driven analytics, ensuring brand stability during crisis periods., Search & Consumer Trends, Utilised cutting-edge AI tools to identify emerging consumer behaviour trends, optimising brand positioning strategies.

• Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, Led brand creation and fundraising initiatives, including Maddie’s Match, which raised $1 million in its first year.
• JDRF Australia, JDRF Leadership Team (Vic) ongoing contribution to strategic marketing and fundraising activities to support Type 1 Diabetes research and awareness campaigns.