When working in marketing, it’s important to remember that you are not alone, says Jenn ten Seldam.
As co-founder of Wingmaven— a “strategic value-creation coach-sultancy”— ten Seldam is set to play a pivotal role presenting at this year’s iMedia Future of Marketing Summit New Zealand.
Since Wingmaven’s inception two years ago, ten Seldam and co-founder Laura Wilson have been supporting businesses to grow and develop their marketing functions.
“When you have a chance to step outside of the business, you immediately realise that with all the challenges you’re experiencing, you’re not Robinson Crusoe. Someone else is dealing with it, or has dealt with it, and has either empathy, understanding or insight to offer,” says ten Seldam.
“This fresh, external thinking is often exactly what you need to move forward.”
Unique understanding
Based in Melbourne, Australia, ten Seldam was formerly chief marketing officer at Seek, and EGM global product marketing at Xero. She set up Wingmaven with Wilson, former Deliveroo CMO, in 2023. The combined decades of industry experience between them allows for a unique understanding of the nuances and challenges that marketing leaders are up against.
“We have deliberately built a new breed of outsourced partner that bridges the glaring gap between developing strategy and implementing it. We bring a pragmatic, structured thinking approach to our customers, so they are true co-creators of better decisions,” says ten Seldam.
iMedia’s head of marketing and communication Anna Cannon adds that ten Seldam and Wilson offer invaluable insights for iMedia NZ’s MarTech attendees.
“Jenn’s presentation, Marketing in Motion: Transforming for Success compliments the summit’s 2025 theme, Adapting to Change: Relislience in Marketing Leadership, perfectly. Hosted in Ōtautahi Christchurch, the summit spans two and a half days and is ideal for senior brand, marketing, digital and communication leaders across Aotearoa.”
The Wingmaven founders say, “We’re also cognisant that the potential scope of marketing is broad. The boundaries are ever-changing and what one business needs at any point in time is different to the next. What got you here, as they say, is unlikely to get you there. Time is the main challenge marketing leaders face when it comes to managing their marketing transformation against the relentless stream of business as usual.”
Never been busier
“The reality is that marketing leaders have never been busier just trying to deal with the day-to-day, especially when consumer and business confidence is subdued and organisational focus swings toward short-term results,” says ten Seldam.
Wilson adds that even once you have carved out the time, knowing where to start can be a “paralysing hurdle”.
“Without a defined process that allows you to take a huge objective step back and consider all the angles, it can be hard to just get going.”
Jenn’s session at the summit will share Wingmaven’s approach to marketing evolution and will touch on balancing the pressure of delivering immediate results while looking long-term. It will also cover common pitfalls marketing leaders face and understanding the signs your marketing function needs to transform.
Cannon notes: “The immersive thought leadership and networking summit format allows for senior marketing leaders and top performing industry innovators to come together to connect, learn and take part in discussions regarding the industry’s most pressing challenges.”
For many, the opportunity to reduce the time spent on client or provider acquisition through drawn-out research and development, pitching or relationship nurturing efforts is time well spent.
She adds brand leaders and business decision makers can discover new tech and alternate solutions or strategies.
“Those business match-making moments occur in such an organic manner that doesn’t feel like networking. The feedback from the event is always positive and appreciative of the experience and expertise on offer.”
Sharing knowledge
For ten Seldam, sharing Wingmaven’s collective knowledge at the summit is an opportunity she looks forward to.
“It really validates our decision to create Wingmaven in the first place. We set out to create the partner we wish we had access to, when we were marketing and business leaders – someone who really understood what we were going through, but also had the headspace and perspective that we struggled to find time for in the day-to-day.”
The period for marketing and business leaders, along with technology and solutions vendors, to submit an expressions of interest to attend will soon close. Head to iMedia Future of Marketing Summit New Zealand to register: imediasummits.com/fomnz/register
