WOMEN OF STYLEAt just 21 years of age, Nikki Warburton was
appointed the youngest general manager of marketing
in the Australian automotive industry and later
became the first female general manager in the sector.
After a career spanning more than 20 years in senior
executive roles, including advertising and subscription
TV, the high-f lyer stepped away from corporate life.
Last year she returned to her roots, as chief marketing
officer for Audi Australia, and balances married life
and raising two boys, Hugo, 11, and Zac, 15, with
running marathons, and credits her adventurous
childhood for shaping her into the woman she is today.
What inspired you on this pathway? “I have a weak-
ness for cars! I have an accounting degree and started
my career in that industry [doing a cadetship in an
accounting firm] but straight away realised it’s not
what I was expecting. I was looking through a
newspaper and saw a job advertised for a marketing
analyst in the automotive industry. I thought that’s
a really nice way to use those accounting skills, but
also being able to get more into the marketing and
consumer space.”
In what ways would you say your childhood has influ-
enced your work? “I grew up in Port Moresby, Papua
New Guinea, and went to an international primary and
high school [returning to Sydney in year 10 to attend
Baulkham Hills High School], so it was not your
usual childhood. We spent a lot of time in the expat
community and we were always outdoors having to
make our own fun. I think that environment shaped who
I am—resilient, determined and passionate. I also feel
that it makes me someone who connects with people
and respects diversity and difference.”
Fo r NIKKI WARBURTON, stepping away meant stepping up
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