Mavens has announced its Australian tour 2026, Jane Evans: The Gospel Of A Mad Woman. It’s punk, it’s anti-ageist and it’s going to attract some serious movers and shakers. Hosting agencies are HERO Melbourne and INNOCEAN Australia, with community partners, Assisterhood, and major partner, No Sunday Blues.
The B&T Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, founder, author, keynote speaker, matriarch, futurist and myth buster will deliver keynote talks for Mavens at INNOCEAN Australia in Sydney (May 21) and HERO agency in Melbourne (May 28). Each talk will share anecdotes and lessons from Evans’ impressive career in advertising, which began as a junior art director at London hot shop, Leagas Delaney.
Evans launched Microsoft Word v1. She gave Cate Blanchett her first job granting her three wishes from the Tim Tam genie. She got Sydneysiders onside to host the Olympics. She headed the team tasked with explaining how digital would affect Kodak (they didn’t listen). She made the first ads to show a divorced couple, an unmarried couple living together, and men doing the laundry. In the first ten years of her career, she was the first-ever woman in the creative department three times.
Evans set up her own agency with clients such as Revlon, Maserati and the Guide Dog Association. And she gave us James Squire Beer. Then she disappeared to London and became completely invisible. Then invaluable. Now she’s coming back and bringing all the tea.
Mavens Founder, copywriter Leah Morris, first met Evans when Morris interviewed her for Mavens magazine in a piece titled, Why ageism against women can get f**ked.
“Look around the Australian advertising industry and you’ll see that experienced women role models, especially those over sixty, are rare as roo eggs”, Morris stated. “Jane Evans is punk as f**k and it’s really refreshing. She is exactly what this industry needs more of.”
Evans’ Australian Tour is supported by industry recruitment company, No Sunday Blues as major partner. With Founders Charlotte, Steph, and Mikhaila shaking up recruitment to make it feel more human, it’s a partnership close to Mavens’ hearts.
Mikhaila Warburton commented, “As female founders, this partnership is deeply personal for us. We’ve experienced the realities many women face across this industry. From bias to burnout to rebuilding careers on our own terms. Mavens creates the kind of space we wish existed earlier in our careers, where women can be seen, heard and supported to grow.
“We’re proud to stand behind a platform that is actively shaping stronger, more connected futures for women in our industry.”
Jasmin Bedir, CEO of Innocean Australia and founder of FcktheCupcakes, added, “I’m delighted that we can not only support Jane’s tour and our close friends from Mavens and No Sunday Blues at the same time. I mean Jane Evans in our building, this has to be the coolest event ever. This will be no doubt be sold out in no time.”
Anais Read, senior copywriter at HERO and Assisterhood creative lead, commented, “HERO is extremely excited to support Mavens and host ad royalty like Jane. There’ll be plenty to laugh at and plenty more to mull over, no matter your gender.”
Jane Evans will also cover:
- How to go from invisible to invaluable as a midlife woman in advertising
- Challenging algorithmic bias via #FairnessInTheFeed with Cindy Gallop and Samantha Katz
- Building a community of matriarchs, The 7th Tribe
- Her new book, which will be available for purchase and signing.
Jane Evans: The Gospel Of A Mad Woman Australian Tour 2026 details:
QUEENSLAND
- Cairns Crocodiles
- May 12-14
NEW SOUTH WALES
- INNOCEAN Australia
- 40-50 Francis St, Darlinghurst
- Thursday May 21, 5.30pm
VICTORIA
- HERO Melbourne
- 26 King St, Prahran
- Thursday May 28, 5.30pm
Tickets for both venues are $27.50 + booking fee. Includes include drinks, canapes, Q&A and networking. Tickets are strictly limited so get yours now.
Leave A Reply