Adam Steward

Bachelor of Commerce (Management and Marketing) 2009
Head of ECommerce & Performance at Havas Media
2021 Finalist Adnews Emerging Leader

Tell us about life since graduation

Since graduating with my Commerce degree, life has been busy, challenging and a lot of fun. I managed to tick off the Australian ritual of backpacking around Europe, got married, bought a house, and had 2 beautiful kids.

When it comes to my professional life, I have found my ‘home’ within the Media and Advertising industry where I have worked for the past 14 years building some of Australia’s most successful Performance Media, Ecommerce and Analytics teams. I have had the pleasure to work with some of the most recognised brands globally, and locally, whilst building lifelong friendships along the way.

Now I am enjoying some much-needed time off with my young family, before launching a new business venture in early 2023 – watch this space.

You were recognised last year as a finalist for the AdNews Emerging leaders’ program. What does this mean to you?

Being recognised as one of the top 20 emerging leaders of 2021 in the Australian Advertising industry was hugely rewarding.

Over the years, there have been a lot of late nights, weekend work, not to mention lots of sacrifices along the way, and to be recognised by my peers during a global pandemic that I am doing a good job, was a great way to top off an incredibly successful year both professionally (substantial business growth) and personally (birth of my daughter).

13 years ago

2022

What advice would you give to recent graduates starting out in the workforce?

It is OK not to understand something, but it is not OK not to speak up.

I lost thousands of hours early on in my career completing tasks that were wrong all because I misunderstood what was being asked, or I only understood 70% of the task. So, I would encourage graduates to get comfortable asking questions, and asking enough questions until they understand what is being asked of them or being presented to them.

The chances are, there will always be other people in the room who don’t understand also, and they just don’t have the confidence to ask.

Remember, there is value in being able to explain complicated things in a simple way to other people.

How have you remained connected to Notre Dame?

Through the friends I made during my 4 years at the university. As one of the founding students at Notre Dame, Sydney, our graduating year was a very close group.

It was one of my friends that shared the mentoring program opportunity with me and recommended a few of us to put our hands up to support and have some fun supporting the next group of graduates.

What advice would you give other alumni interested in becoming a mentor?

Do it! The experience you have gained since graduating, no matter how insignificant it may seem, can be hugely impactful and meaningful to graduates who might have thousands of questions running through their heads.

I am very fortunate to have a few mentors whom I can ask, and regularly do, for advice and guidance during my professional career. Their advice has either validated a decision I was going to make or helped me navigate a difficult problem.

I wish I had the same support, guidance, and advice on hand while I was finishing my studies because taking that first leap out of university can be daunting.

What are the 3 top tips for structuring your week?

1.The power hour: Dedicate 1 hour a day to focus on yourself. This might be hitting the gym, going for a walk, or working on a personal goal of yours, whatever it is, make sure you are protective of this time and committed to yourself.

This becomes even more important when you have a team of people relying on you daily – also more important if you have a partner or kids who rely on you as well

2. Protect your time and realise not everything needs to be a Teams (or zoom) call. Emails are still an effective communication method and can save you a wasted hour on a call.

I am fiercely protective of my time and block out chunks of time in my calendar to focus on key tasks for the day – I also mute all notifications so I can really focus on the task at hand.

3. No Friday meetings: This might be a little controversial, but I hate Friday meetings, so I don’t do them. I used this time to work through the week’s admin which has piled up and to review the week that was.

This helps me set next week’s main priorities, and to catch up with my team to see how their week was and if they need any help.

Alumni in Focus is brought to you by the Advancement Unit. The views, opinions and positions expressed by the speakers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of The University of Notre Dame or any employee thereof.