26 May 2025 03:34am
Adam Hodge has resigned from Gemba to pursue opportunities on the client side.
His departure at the end of June will bring to an end nearly five years as head of marketing strategy at the sport and entertainment marketing agency.
Confirming the decision to Sponsorship News, Hodge said the move follows more than 17 years on the agency side of the industry.
“I’ve loved every minute of it, but I’ve got to the point in my career where I’m ready for the change.”
“I’m going to try and make the move over to client side.”
His resignation was made in consultation with Gemba MD, Andrew Condon, with the intention of ensuring a smooth transition.
“I didn’t want to do it behind the scenes because half the brands I’m excited about working with are Gemba clients.
“From an ethics point of view, I wanted to manage it properly and make sure the team and clients weren’t let down,” Hodge said.
Condon publicly acknowledged the departure in a post this week, praising the executive’s contribution to the agency’s growth.
“Hodge has been right at the centre of that growth. He’s played a massive role in shaping our marketing strategy offering, helping us deliver outstanding work to some of the biggest brands in the world,” he said.
He worked on major sponsorship accounts including Toyota, Coca-Cola, Westpac, McDonald’s, Netflix, Bunnings, Transport for NSW, HCF and Virgin Australia.
Condon added that, “He has that rare ability to switch gears between a commercial advisor, a strategist, a creative thinker and a natural salesman.
“He can build sponsorship strategies that put a brand right at the heart of fan passion, and he knows how to unpack a brand story through sport and entertainment in a way that really cuts through.
“Under his leadership, the marketing strategy team has had its best years yet.”
Hodge indicated he was open to all opportunities.
“It could be an organisation that has sponsorship as a key part of its marketing mix, such as banks, big retailers, insurance companies or tech companies – or a brand that has never done [it] before,” he said.
Hodge also referenced the emerging opportunity with Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsors.
“I know there are already brands like Visa that are global partners, but there are [others] that will be thinking about their local investment and setting up project teams.
“That could be an interesting opportunity,” he said.
Hodge lives with his family in Sydney and would ideally be based in the city, but would consider relocating for the right opening.
After beginning his career with Telstra, he moved into agency roles, travelling to London, Singapore and the US.
“I’ve learned a lot in those 17 [agency] years and I think I can bring real value to a brand now.”