This year our judges for the competition are:
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Financial literacy campaigner and educator
Nicole is a long-time money commentator and financial literacy campaigner and educator across newspapers, online and on television, and in high schools around Australia.
Nicole has been writing a money column for The Sydney Morning Herald/Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age newspapers, and on all related websites, for more than 15 years. She was formerly editor then editor-at-large of The Australian Financial Review’s Smart Investor magazine.
Nicole is a regular on Channels 7, 9 and 10 and travels the country giving speeches and MC-ing events, including on multiple occasions at Canberra's Parliament House. Nicole has also been delivering her Smart Money Start financial literacy program to graduating high school students since 2014.
Added to that, in the crazy coronavirus times, Nicole’s fast and even funny social media updates on the stimulus and situation went viral, reaching almost a million people.
She has won the top award for investment and personal finance journalism in the United Kingdom and Australia (respectively), and is the author of the best-selling How to Get Mortgage-Free Like Me, in which real Aussies reveal how they’ve accomplished the real Australian dream faster, smarter and cheaper.
Michael Morton
Deputy Commissioner
Individuals and Intermediaries
Michael Morton is Deputy Commissioner Individuals and Intermediaries in the Australian Taxation Office.
In this role, Michael has responsibility for the delivery of improved outcomes for Individuals not in business that make it easier for them to comply with their tax obligations. This includes education programs, consultation, online services, data analytics, advice and guidance and compliance activities. Michael is also responsible for improved outcomes for Intermediaries, particularly tax professionals as key stakeholders in supporting taxpayers to meet their obligations.
Michael has over 20 years’ experience in tax administration and a background in economics and econometrics. He has had a key focus on developing strategies that support compliance for Small Businesses, Public Groups and Multinational Enterprises as well as worked with other tax jurisdictions on domestic and international income tax issues.
Andrew Watson
Deputy Commissioner
Individuals and Intermediaries
Andrew Watson is Deputy Commissioner Individuals and Intermediaries at the Australian Taxation Office.
Recently appointed to this role Andrew has responsibility for the delivery of improved outcomes for individuals that make it easier for them to comply with their tax obligations. This includes education programs, consultation, online services, data analytics, advice and guidance and compliance activities. Andrew is also responsible for working closely with tax professionals as key stakeholders in supporting taxpayers to meet their obligations.
He has over 30 years of experience in the Australian Taxation Office and in that time, Andrew has held a number of key leadership positions in the ATO with a focus in recent years on supporting small businesses and leading technology change.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Adelaide and a Masters of Business Administration (Public Sector Management) from Charles Sturt University.
Tim Loh
Assistant Commissioner
Risk and Strategy - Individuals
Individuals and Intermediaries
Tim is the Assistant Commissioner, Risk and Strategy - Individuals, Individuals and Intermediaries. Tim is the ATO’s tax time spokesperson for 2023 and is also the ATO’s steering committee member for the Women in Law Enforcement Strategy formal mentoring program which works to promote women in senior leadership positions across a number of Commonwealth law enforcement agencies. Prior to joining the ATO, Tim worked at one of the world's largest mining companies and two international law firms. Tim holds a Master of Laws, a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce. Tim is a Chartered Tax Advisor and admitted to practice in Victoria.
Bianca Armytage
Assistant Commissioner
Marketing and Communication
Bianca joined the ATO in April 2022 and heads up the Marketing and Communication Branch responsible for delivering all external communications, advertising and social media for the ATO. With over 15 years’ experience across government, not for profit and the private sector Bianca is an accountable leader, strategic communication and stakeholder engagement expert, passionate about building and leading dynamic teams.
Bianca has worked for the BBC and managed the Paramount Pictures account while working at Lipsync Post in London. She also worked at Nine Network Australia developing campaigns for the network’s highest rating products, was head of marketing and communications at Dementia Australia and most recently lead the Strategic Communication Branch at the Department of Social Services successfully delivering multiple high-value, complex social policy campaigns including ‘Stop it at the Start’ and ‘The Disability Gateway’. Bianca is passionate about accessible communication for diverse audiences, with a focus on issues management, crisis media and developing and executing highly successful campaigns.