The Campaigner of the Year Award: presented by Intuit Mailchimp recognises 5 of the world's most innovative young individuals who are inspiring others to take action through their work and effecting positive global change.
These 5 campaigners have been selected as winners because of the tremendous impact they are creating through advocacy, marketing, or communications.
The winners were selected from a shortlist by One Young World's expert judging panel, chaired by Michelle Taite, CMO at Intuit Mailchimp, and Katie Potochney, Executive Creative Director and Head of Wink Creative at Intuit Mailchimp.
The 5 winners will be presented with this award at the One Young World Summit 2023 in Belfast, United Kingdom.
The Winners
Andrew Pagonis, Australia
As the Global Marketing Manager for Shopping & Commerce, Andrew is responsible for launching the latest product innovations that help businesses of all sizes connect with new customers across Google and sustainably grow online – with a focus on small & diverse-owned businesses.
Within 1.5 years of joining Google Australia, Andrew received two global marketing awards for 'Flawless Execution' and 'Advancing Diversity' by the VP of Marketing. As a result of this success, Andrew transferred to the US headquarters to lead Google’s shopping & commerce efforts to power a free and open shopping ecosystem for small businesses & NGOs.
Throughout this time he has proactively utilized Google’s platform and resources to better the lives of underrepresented groups. Galvanized by his parents' struggle as small business owners during COVID-19, Andrew proactively shifted his primary work focus to helping small businesses bounce back. He ideated and authored Google’s Retail Marketing Guide equipping 3.5M+ businesses with the free online tools they need to generate sales and stay afloat during times of uncertainty. Andrew pitched for campaign funding to translate this guide into 17 languages for global accessibility and promote it in the most disadvantaged countries globally. For his contributions to commerce, Andrew received a Google “Tech Impact Award”, a recognition previously reserved for engineers.
Andrew has also used Google’s platform to better the lives of LGBTQ+ people. He co-led Google’s sponsorship of Pride, diverting money away from corporate participation in the parade to instead fund underrepresented groups of young LGBTQ people to attend. This initiative influenced many other corporations to now do the same. He also developed the content and led a free digital skills training for hundreds of LGBTQ small businesses, helping them get discovered and grow online. This initiative has now scaled globally at Google and has helped thousands more underrepresented businesses. At Advertising Week APAC (reaching 4,000+ senior leaders) he wrote and produced a panel that was centered around the importance of adopting inclusive hiring practices, titled “The Power of Difference''. This panel replaced Google-centric content to instead focus on industry diversity & inclusion, a first of its kind initiative in this event's history. These efforts culminated in Andrew featuring as 1 of 7 global employees in Google’s ‘Pride Forever’ campaign and being recognized as a 30 under 30 LGBT Future Leader and Role Model by BCG.
Through his body of work, both business-driving and philanthropic, Andrew was the first Australian featured in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2023 for the Marketing & Advertising category.
Matthew Nwozaku Blaise, Nigeria
Matthew Nwozaku is a dynamic visionary at the forefront of transformative social change. With a rich background in LGBTQ+ advocacy, art curation, and community building, their work has left an indelible mark on young people across Nigeria and beyond.
As the Executive Director at Obodo, a youth-led non-profit furthering the normalization of queer experiences and narratives in Nigeria, Matthew has spearheaded impactful campaigns and community-driven initiatives that bridge the gap between art, technology, and philanthropy. Their role in the #EndSARS movement, the #QueerLivesMatter and the #EndHomophobiaInNigeria campaigns, spotlighted police brutality and ignited a nationwide discourse on systemic change and intersectionality. Through strategic social media mobilisation, they amplified the voices of young queer Nigerians, sparking a wave of demand for justice and accountability.
Matthew's impactful advocacy has garnered remarkable recognition, including the MTV EMAS 2022 Generation Change Award, SOGIESC Activist of the Year Award 2021, Dazed100, The Future Awards Africa 2020 nomination for Leading Conversations. Matthew's pioneering efforts are evident in their inclusion in NATIVESON's 2020 list of 101 Black Gay and Queer Men Who Made Global Impact and international publications like Vogue, Bloomberg, Time. As a dynamic panelist and keynote speaker at esteemed conferences like AfricaNXT, Women Deliver 2023, The ILGA Conference, they amplify queer African narratives globally, inspiring progressive discussions and visibility.
Matthew's work encapsulates the true essence of advocacy—transforming obstacles into stepping stones for progress. Their contribution to the struggle for social change exemplifies their determination to create a world where young people can thrive without fear of discrimination.
Qyira Yusri, Malaysia
Qyira is the Co-Founder and Education Director of #Undi18. #Undi18 is a Malaysian grassroots movement, spearheaded by a group of young people that successfully lobbied the Government and Parliament of Malaysia to take steps toward amending Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution to reduce the minimum voting age in Malaysia from 21 to 18 years old. As a result, 5.8 million new voters could participate in Malaysia's most recent general elections.
In 2021, the US Embassy KL nominated her for the International Woman of Courage Award and she was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work in Social Impact. In 2022, she was appointed as the Special Adviser on Youth to EU Commissioner, Jutta Urpilainen. Qyira has participated in and coordinated multiple direct action activities in response to advocating for freedom of public assembly, speech and political inclusion.
She has also consulted on various human rights campaigns in Malaysia and across ASEAN, with experiences in topics of citizenship, detention, death penalty abolition and more. With #Undi18, she leads the voter education initiatives by creating workshop modules and creative content to ensure Malaysians know their rights, are empowered to vote and disrupt the Malaysian political landscape with progressive ideals.
Trang Chu Minh, Hungary and Vietnam
As a long-standing sustainability advocate and a seasoned journalist, Trang has made it her mission to use storytelling to raise awareness of and make a positive impact on underreported social and environmental issues. As a freelance reporter, she has covered a range of sustainability- and conservation-related issues, from the global trade in shark meat to the myths surrounding tree planting, the rise of alternative protein and efforts to protect the world’s most endangered great ape.
She is currently in charge of sustainability communications and thought leadership for Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, turning complex topics such as climate scenarios or China’s decarbonisation journey into a catalyst for greater climate action among companies, governments and civil society.
Trang developed the first global communications strategy for the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s pro bono legal service for NGOs and social enterprises. Some of her milestone campaigns include working on a research project which led to the first state law banning child marriage in the US, the opening of the first safe house for LGBTQ+ refugees in the UK and a legal case fighting child sexual abuse in India.
On the youth engagement front, she partnered youth non-profit Bye Bye Plastic Bags on a campaign against plastic pollution which eventually led to Bali becoming the first Indonesian province to ban plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam. She has also produced the #IChooseToSee campaign with YouTube creators from around the world to break taboos associated with issues such as modern slavery or menstrual health among a younger audience – the most popular video garnered over 3.6 million views.
In addition, she has worked as a communications and editorial consultant with the EU Mission to ASEAN and USAID’s Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative on international development projects focusing on climate mitigation, biodiversity protection, inclusive education and women’s rights.
In her free time, she volunteers as a running guide for youth with disabilities, believing in the power of sports to create a more enabling environment for individuals with special needs.
Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, First Nations, Australia
Vanessa is proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman, advocate, lawyer, writer and researcher at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous education and research, and the Law faculty at the University of Technology dedicating her work to transforming the forced removal practices of First Nations child removal and empowering Indigenous self-determination and Justice for First Nations people and children both in Australia and globally. She is an inspiring force reshaping the world through her remarkable journey. Vanessa is a survivor of the Out of Home Care System (OOHC) where she was forcibly removed at the age of 10. Vanessa’s motivation for studying law was driven by the disproportionate impact of the law in her very own community.
Her leadership and advocacy are changing the way Australia’s child protection system intervenes and surveillances the lives of Indigenous people. She is transforming models of care, and ensuring that First Nations families are self-determined, whilst addressing the fundamental harms of intergenerational trauma.
Vanessa continues to be a driving force for Indigenous rights, and in particular First Nations Children and young people and their voices. Honoured with the Australian Human Rights Medal, she is recognised as one of 10 Changemakers and a member of the Power Generation of emerging Indigenous leaders. Vanessa's forthcoming book, "Long Yarn Shot," enlightens and unites people in the history and shared learning experience of Australia. Vanessa continues to create impact through her advocacy and uses both her personal, professional and digital world towards this change and believes we must continue to work together to re-imagine a better world for community, for our children, for our future.
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