Keeping it in the family

She has been a juggernaut in the media industry for decades and has been at the forefront or gender equality and her work in both those spaces were recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours with the industry leader appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). Her citation credits Sunita’s “significant service to the media and marketing industry, and to gender equality”.

The 2023 honour sees Sunita join her father John D’Souza, who was recognised with an OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) in 2017 for 45 years of community service work.

“My parents Betty and John D’Souza OAM brought me from India to Australia in 1974 after the final vestiges of the White Australia Policy were abolished, for the promise of a better life for me,” Sunita said to AdNews.

“We left Bombay to settle in Mt Gambier. I can’t imagine the courage that took. I’m so grateful for all the sacrifices my parents made for my future.

“And I must acknowledge the community of Mount Gambier, which 49 years later my parents still call home, for welcoming us into their lives and to Australia.”

Her formative years were spent in Mount Gambier and when she was awarded both a Tenison Woods College Shining Light Award from her former school, and a National Women in Media Award – taking out the Social Change Maker category – back in 2021, she reflected on her time her parents’ hometown.

“Whilst starting school is a big step for most children, for me they were truly giant life-changing steps,” Sunita said. “My parents (pictured below with Sunita) and I had arrived in Mount Gambier from India in 1974 and my life as a new young Aussie began on Pick Avenue at St Marys.

“I remember my first Balfours Sausage roll from the tuck shop, my first classroom, the fellow students that were tasked with being my mates.

“Those young five year old students, my first friends, grew up to be my lifelong best friends to this day.”

While Sunita acknowledges the need for the three Rs and the value of those classroom lessons, her enduring memories were not confined to what the eager young student was able to learn.

“My memories of school life are marked by that friendship group particularly in high school,” Sunita said.

“We played together, studied together, danced together at school discos at Casadio Park, performed in school plays together at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, went to Mass together every Sunday at eleven, we partied with pizza and cheap wine, we might have even snuck into the Gambier on a Thursday night.

“We made once in a lifetime memories like the night we watched Halley’s Comet together lying under the stars at Wandilo.” And they are memories she continues to relive whenever the opportunity arises.

“We relive all those memories every time we reunite at home,” she said. “That’s testament to the strong community spirit that Mount Gambier fosters in everyone that once called the town home, but also credit to the pastoral community that envelops the Catholic Church and its schools.”

Sunita has been ranked on the Women in Media Power List since 2014 and it all started with completing a Bachelor of Business, graduating from the University of South Australia, before moving into the advertising sphere.

She married a rally car driver from Broken Hill and their adventure began, taking in Sydney and London and also producing three children.

“I have racked up almost 30 years experience in the media and marketing industry and have had so many amazing opportunities to travel and work with exceptionally talented creative people on campaigns that have influenced and created culture both here in Australia and overseas,” she said.

From day one of her advertising career, which started in Adelaide, she has combined her passion for selling the message through the media and promoting social change. “That kind of impact is why I love our industry,” Sunita said. “I love being a catalyst to drive change. With that comes great responsibility, especially in marketing.

“How brands go to market and how they use creativity, has the power to dismantle some of society’s biggest problems. “Inspiring and galvanising people to play their part in that process, is what gives me energy.

“Truly powerful marketing uses empathy and emotion to connect. It can create change and has the power to improve people’s lives and our planet. Making that kind of impact is why I love my profession.”

Sunita has held senior leadership roles in Australia and internationally including WPP AUNZ, PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, Australian Association of National Advertisers, M&C Saatchi, and Lowe and Partners Worldwide.

The founder of business consulting firm Gloster Advisory, Sunita is also a Senior Advisor for Accenture Australia, UN Women Australia, UN Global Compact Network Australia, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, and Co-Chair of Media and Marketing, Tech Council of Australia. She is also a regular public speaker, a panellist on ABC TV show Gruen and a columnist across the media and marketing sector.

And through all her success, her primary and high school years in Mount Gambier underpins it all.

“Where you went to school has always been a defining conversation in business, one that is taking new shape, but has traditionally had its stereotypes,” Sunita said. “I’m always very proud to anchor my story around Tenison, landmarked by our wonderful Blue Lake. That never fails to put a smile on people’s faces.”