Reliance Industries’ Gayatri Yadav hails unconventional leadership programme in Australia

Gayatri Yadav, Group CMO and EVP of Strategic Initiatives within the Chairman’s Office at Reliance Industries, has praised her experience at The Marketing Academy Fellowship. Writing on LinkedIn following a week-long residential retreat near Sydney, Australia, Yadav described the programme as a leadership crucible rather than a standard marketing course.

Sharing details and photographs from the event, she stated, “I spent the last week in a beautiful place, 90 minutes from Sydney, at a life-changing programme called The Marketing Academy.”

The text below is reproduced from her LinkedIn post:

I spent the last week in a beautiful place, 90 minutes from Sydney, at a life-changing programme called The Marketing Academy.

I walked in with zero — perhaps even negative — expectations.

I walked out refreshed, recharged, and with a new set of friends: “enlightened witnesses” for this journey called life.

So what is The Marketing Academy?

It began 16 years ago with Sherilyn Shackell’s vision to create the best marketing leadership programme in the world. Even more powerfully, she wanted to take money out of the equation — so no one could pay their way in, and no one would be kept out because they could not afford it.

What followed was a remarkable movement, shaped by Sherilyn, Syl Saller CBE — former CMO of Diageo and CBE — Jules Lund, founder of Tribe, Thomas Barta , former McKinsey partner, author and thought leader, and many generous sponsors who make this possible. Thank you also to Emma who held the program together so brilliantly and Laleh and so many more!

As one of the fortunate people selected as a Fellow, what I experienced is too much to capture in a post.

Let me simply say this: The Marketing Academy is not a marketing course. It is a leadership crucible.

The real challenge in marketing today is not functional expertise alone. It is the ability to connect marketing to growth, enterprise value and executive leadership.

We explored Thomas Barta’s model of the 12 powers of leadership — across self, peers, upwards and teams.

We sat through brilliant fireside chats with CEOs, AI thinkers and even an ethics expert from Cambridge — each one expanding the aperture on what leadership now asks of marketers.

And then came the deeply personal “behind the mask” sessions, where we learned so much about each other and ourselves, guided brilliantly by Syl, Jules and Sherilyn, and enabled by the generous vulnerability of the cohort.

It brought to mind the idea of “enlightened witnesses” — people who validate your journey, hold up a mirror, and help catalyse deep personal growth.

And yes, we walked through the famous bush forest reserves with a brilliant storyteller who connected us with the spirit of the great land.

And yes, I was bitten by a leech.

And yes, I lived to tell the tale. :)

To all my Fellows, and to everyone who makes The Marketing Academy what it is: thank you. ?

As my grandfather used to say, “My cup overfloweth.”

See you in November, in Mumbai.