Susan Coghill has been promoted to chief marketing officer at Tourism Australia, replacing Lisa Ronson who left the organisation in March.

Coghill steps up from general manager creative, content and campaigns, where she has overseen creative marketing direction and campaigns including Dundee, Undiscover Australia and Australia Inc., and brought M&C Saatchi onto the TA roster.

Coghill’s experience includes both brand and client-side roles, spanning advertising and marketing roles at News Corp, Qantas and Westpac, a well as The Campaign Palace, Whybin TBWA, Publicis Mojo and M&C Saatchi.

Tourism Australia MD John O’Sullivan, who is set to leave the organisation in June to join ASX-listed Experience Co, said Coghill “has brought enormous energy, drive and passion to our business and helped take our creative work to new levels”.  

He added: “She’s demonstrated an impressive ability in bringing the best creatively out of teams. We’re already seeing that in the creative and collaborate way our own marketing team is working with our new agency partners.”

Coghill described it as “a dream job. To say I’m thrilled is an under-statement”.  

“This is an extremely exciting phase in our marketing journey at Tourism Australia. I’m blessed in having an amazingly talented team in place, strong and committed agency partners and a shared vision in how we tell our story and add value for our industry.

“I think Dundee shows what can be achieved when you think big and are brave. It’s certainly that same bold ambition I’ll be encouraging as new CMO,” she said.

Coghill takes up the new position immediately. Phillipa Harrison will act as interim managing director until a permanent successor to O’Sullivan is recruited.