Gybe Fortnight: the case for self-belief

Welcome to this edition of Gybe Fortnight - our round-up of what's moving in the marketing, digital and sales market, the roles and talent we're working with, and the headlines worth your attention.

Market overview

Every year people assume the market goes quiet once the festive season rolls in, but what we're seeing in our data says otherwise. November and December stay busy, with companies hiring right up until the week before Christmas.

Insight of the fortnight: the case for self-belief

On Friday 23 October, we spent the day at Chloe Hooper's The Limitless Equation at The Calile, alongside some of the most accomplished women in Brisbane's marketing, media and advertising industries. Senior leaders spoke candidly about something we rarely discuss at work: self-doubt.

The numbers shared on the day were striking. 86% of women minimise their achievements, and 81% don't back themselves first.

As recruiters, we see the cost. Talented people rule themselves out of roles they could excel in, undersell their experience and hold back ideas.

Chloe's message was that self-belief isn't something you either have or don't. It's built through self-leadership and self-care, and by understanding what makes you uniquely good at what you do. A few takeaways we've brought back to our desks:

• Become a scientist of your own brain. When emotion starts overriding strategy, name the feeling before you act, and use slow breathing to reset in high-pressure moments.
• Quiet the inner critic. Would you talk to your friends the way you talk to yourself?
• Treat self-care as maintenance. Keep a regular sleep routine, get morning sunlight and take ten minutes to properly switch off. If you lead a team, put your own oxygen mask on first.
• Choose progress over perfection. Don't let fear stop you from doing something possible.
• Step outside your lane. Do the next job before you get it, and don't be afraid to stretch beyond your remit.
• Lean into discomfort. Make time to think about yourself, revisit what challenged you, and say yes to the things that feel a little uncomfortable.
• Be kind when things don't go your way. If you miss out on a role, it's rarely about you. Someone else was simply a closer fit.

One reframe from the day stays with us. Instead of asking "what's the worst that can happen?", ask "what's the best that can happen?"

The bottom line: whether you're stepping into your next role or building your team, self-belief is worth investing in.

Jobs in market

• Head of Growth | Wingman Creative | Teneriffe, hybrid | full-time - own new business development for a growing creative agency, building the pipeline, leading pitches and converting opportunities into long-term client partnerships, in a senior leadership seat alongside the General Manager and Head of Client Services.
• Digital Content Specialist | established consumer brand | Brisbane, on-site | full-time | $100k + super - own the ideas, the camera and the creative direction, with a focus on short-form video and social storytelling, from polished campaign shoots with a professional crew to fast, social-first content shot on an iPhone.

Other roles worth knowing about right now:

• Ramsay Health Care - Digital Experience Manager, helping transform how a national healthcare communications team works by building an Enterprise Messaging Library, optimising platforms and workflows, and championing practical uses of AI, automation and analytics. Hybrid in Brisbane.
• Cover-More Group - Digital Manager, driving profitable digital growth for a leading travel insurance brand through an evidence-led optimisation program across web and mobile. Hybrid in Brisbane.

Interview question of the fortnight

"If I increased your marketing budget by 25% tomorrow, where would you spend it?"

Talent worth knowing

• Brand & Marketing Manager | $150k + super | available immediately, permanent or contract - 6+ years in marketing, most recently Group Brand and Marketing Manager for a multi-site retail group, advising the CEO on growth, with website sessions up 32% year-on-year and a department restructure delivering $90,000+ in annual savings.
• Product Marketing Manager | $150k + super | available immediately, permanent or contract - 15+ years in B2B SaaS product marketing across EdTech and FinTech, who most recently founded and shipped an AI-powered SaaS product to private beta and owns go-to-market end to end.
• Senior Marketing Specialist | $120k + super | available immediately, permanent or contract - 20+ years across agency, corporate and not-for-profit marketing, delivering integrated marketing across 130+ community and early education services in South East Queensland.
• Head of Marketing & Communications | $140k + super | available immediately, permanent or contract - 13+ years across not-for-profit, telecommunications and food services, who led a national not-for-profit's marketing, brand positioning, storytelling and PR agency relationships, with appeals that each raised over $100,000.

Headlines we're watching

• Strategist Al Crawford looks at Domino's attempt to pull itself out of a promotional doom loop, citing new Binet and Boyd research that nearly two thirds of price promotions lose money.
• Australian fashion brand Dissh has hired California-based Jessica Staats, formerly of Interscope Records, as its new chief marketing officer to help shape its expansion into the US.
• WPP Media has promoted Danica Luhrs to the newly created role of head of planning and appointed Gemma Boucher as client managing partner at EssenceMediacom, as part of a broader investment in its Brisbane offering.
• The marketing funnel is flattening as websites become libraries for LLMs, with shoppers now able to research, compare and get product recommendations inside an AI chat, often without ever visiting a brand's website.
• Queensland leaders from Dentsu, OMD, WPP and Publicis will discuss what holding-company consolidation means for agencies at AdNews Brisbane L!VE on 26 November.
• The ATO says content creators who regularly receive money, gifts or perks may have tax obligations.

Get in touch

Whether you're hiring, exploring your next move, or just want to talk through the market, we'd love to hear from you.

• Libby Kidd: 0401 784 670 | [email protected]
• Michael Johns: 0406 210 924 | [email protected]
• Cass Barker: 0431 625 791 | [email protected]