‘Some of the most powerful growth in business happens when leaders combine a clear vision with the confidence to empower their people. I saw this first-hand when leading a small business through rapid expansion, growing from 8 to 40 people while more than tripling revenue in two years. The difference was not simply ambition, but clarity of direction, a practical roadmap and a team trusted to take ownership.‘

John Gutteridge has built his career across two distinct business chapters. He is a global marketing and technology leader with a track record of driving growth in both multinational enterprises and entrepreneurial ventures. With deep expertise in digital transformation and M&A across the Asia Pacific region, John combines strategic rigour with a belief in the power of creativity to unlock business performance.

Earlier in his career, John held senior leadership roles with global marketing organisations including J. Walter Thompson and Mirum, where he served as CEO for Asia Pacific. In this role, he led two businesses across 17 markets, bringing together more than 3,000 employees under a unified strategy and purpose. The restructure enabled an end-to-end client offering supported by centres of excellence in digital consulting, marketing automation and commerce activation.

John later returned to Australia to lead the merger of Wunderman and J. Walter Thompson across Australia and New Zealand. He oversaw a team of approximately 300 people across five offices, implementing a new organisational structure and unified proposition that strengthened capabilities across CRM, marketing automation, SEO, UX/UI, creative and brand consulting.

After more than 25 years in corporate leadership, John moved into entrepreneurship, launching a sustainable direct-to-consumer clothing brand and developing an AI-driven marketing platform designed to democratise strategic marketing capability for small businesses.

Today, John is the founder of Soffiah.ai and Wondrous, two ventures focused on helping organisations harness innovation, technology and strategic clarity to drive sustainable growth.

• Led J. Walter Thompson and Mirum across 17 Asia Pacific markets, aligning strategy, operations and capability across approximately 3,000 employees.
• Directed the merger of Wunderman and J. Walter Thompson in Australia and New Zealand, bringing together five offices and approximately 300 employees under a single operating model.
• Grew a small business from 8 to 40 employees while more than tripling revenue in two years.
• Built and launched two entrepreneurial ventures, including an AI marketing platform designed to democratise strategy for small businesses.
• Member of the Global Executive Leadership Team for J. Walter Thompson and Mirum Worldwide and former board director of the Australian Childhood Foundation.