14th December, 2017
Winner of the NEXT Women in Media Scholarship Announced
NEXT Magazine and Bauer Media are pleased to announce that the winner of the NEXT Women in Media Scholarship for 2018 is
Penelope Brown (née Burns) from MBM.
The scholarship has a value of up to $10,000 and was open to all women who work in a media agency or department. Entries
were judged by renowned businesswoman Theresa Gattung, TBWA Managing Director Catherine Harris, and NEXT Editor Rachael
Russell. The judges were united in their praise of the winner.
“Penelope’s ability to articulate the issues facing women in media and her vision for how she will use the scholarship
to address those concerns made this the standout entry. Penelope is not simply great at her job, but determined to push
for a better environment for those following in her footsteps. We congratulate her on this success, and look forward to
seeing what she achieves next.”
Two additional entries that the judges said deserved special mention were those from Denelle Joyce of Ogilvy Wellington
and Soong Phoon from OMD Auckland. Both women showed a true passion for their industry and a clear vision for how to
succeed in today’s environment.
The judges said:
“It was encouraging to see so many applications from women who determined to grow their skills as leaders and
innovators. We received entries from women with years of experience, and some who are in the early stages of their
careers, but they were all united by their drive to succeed – and to do so with integrity.”
Thank you to everyone who entered the scholarship. NEXT looks forward to continuing to support women in this field.