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Marketing Mag recently spoke with Maestro Talent co-founders Annabel Acton and Peter Bauld about their newly launched platform. More than a project-based match-maker, the platform is a rich ecosystem of resources, personal development tools and community – born from the founders’ realisation, while working for Fortune 500 companies, that a workplace should empower people, not just employ them.
Marketing Mag: Can you tell us a bit about your backgrounds?
Annabel Acton: I’m a brand and innovation strategist on a mission to keep it quirky. At a high level, I use creativity to solve thorny business problems. I spent a good chunk of my career in the US, helping Fortune 500s develop innovation pipelines, build provocative brand strategies and embed cultures of creativity. I love helping people see their problems in new ways and find unexpected opportunities, against the odds.
I’ve always been passionate about startups, and it was in New York that I took a career sidestep and launched a startup of my own. The idea started as an e-commerce platform and morphed into an entertainment brand, leading to a book, product and TV deal. I moved back to Australia seven years ago and took another career side-step by diving into the investment space – first at a large family office, then at an early-stage venture capital firm. In both of these roles, I helped use brand and customer thinking to inform investment decisions, while also offering support to our portfolio companies. A few years later, I met Pete through a mutual friend, who brought me to Deloitte Digital to develop the Brand Transformation practice. When Pete came to me with the idea for Maestro, I jumped at the chance to build something meaningful, from scratch.
Peter Bauld: From high-pressure kitchens to global boardrooms, my journey has been anything but ordinary. I began my career as a chef – an intense, high-stakes environment where I learned firsthand the value of teamwork, precision under pressure, and relentless execution. But when 9/11 reshaped the world, I decided to explore it. What followed was a whirlwind eight-year adventure across the UK, Europe, the US, and Asia – an experience that left me hungry for something bigger.
Back in Australia, the world felt smaller but my ambition had grown larger. I launched several businesses, one of which scaled rapidly, employing hundreds of freelancers. The biggest lesson? When you genuinely care for your people, the business takes care of itself. After exiting those ventures, I was headhunted to join Deloitte Digital, where I helped build their emerging technology team. That grew into leading global initiatives in brand, advertising and creativity – putting Deloitte Australia on the map in new and unexpected ways.
At one point, I was living on planes more than at home – channeling George Clooney in Up in the Air – when I decided it was time to ground myself and follow a personal goal: completing a Senior Executive MBA at Melbourne Business School.
That passion for people, growth and transformation never left me. It became the foundation for Maestro – a company born from the belief that work should empower people, not just employ them. We’re building more than a platform; we’re building a movement to reimagine how the world works. And we’re just getting started.
MM: Where did the idea for Maestro come from?
PB: The idea for Maestro was born out of a deep realisation: the way we work is no longer working.
In my years in consulting, I learned that the biggest challenges businesses face aren’t just strategic – they’re human. Clients would come to us with complex, wicked problems, but they often didn’t have the in-house firepower or the headspace to solve them. Inside organisations, even the best teams can get stuck in the jar – so close to the problem they forget to read the label. They lose sight of the bigger picture and the vision that sparked it all.
At the same time, the pace of business is relentless and technology moves even faster. What someone was hired to do on day one is rarely what they’re doing six months later. Roles evolve. People evolve. Employees are job-crafting – shaping their roles in real-time to fit both their needs and the company’s. Meanwhile, employers are under pressure to stay lean, reduce overheads and manage uncertainty. Redundancy isn’t a shock anymore – it’s a trend. I kept thinking, there has to be a better way.
On the talent side, we’ve seen burnout classified as an epidemic, conversations about workplace wellness and balance on the rise and more people deciding the trade-offs aren’t worth it. There has to be a better way.
That’s where Maestro comes in.
AA: Maestro was created to rethink work entirely – to serve both sides of the equation. It’s not just about connecting clients with exceptional talent. It’s about building a new kind of operating model – one that’s flexible, human and future-fit.
Maestro is a platform and a movement to help people design careers around their lives, not the other way around. It taps into the rise of fractional work – a model thriving in the US, but only just starting to take hold in Australia. We believe it’s the future. Talent wants it. Businesses need it. And when done right, everyone wins.
I had worked as an independent contractor for four years, both in the US and Australia, and both times felt pain points that could be solved by a platform like Maestro. And it’s not just about having confidence in your pipeline of work, it’s about connection to community, continuous professional growth and a sense that you’re building a career, not just bouncing from project to project.
PB: On a personal level, Maestro’s mission runs deep. Two decades ago, I was running a fast-growing company and, like many, got swept up in the hustle. I missed friends’ weddings and important milestones – things I’ll never get back. I learned the hard way that career success means nothing if life passes you by.
Maestro is our chance to help reimagine the way the world works; because the future of work should work for everyone.
MM: What prompted you to create it? Why now?
AA: There are two key shifts we’re seeing that make the timing of Maestro compelling. On the talent side, we’re seeing more and more people reject the traditional nine-to-five in pursuit of a life that works for them now, on their own terms. Perhaps they’ve experienced burnout firsthand, perhaps they want more time to pursue their passions, or perhaps they want to prioritise their family. Whatever the motivation, there’s a sense that life’s too short to live to work.
On the corporate side, we’re seeing the need to reduce costs and run lean. At the same time, the need for highly skilled workers capable of completing a very specific task at a very specific time is increasing. Add to that the dizzying pace of change and it’s clear agility has never been more important. We like to think of ourselves as agility accelerators, helping clients respond to market changes, at pace – without the HR headache.
MM: How does Maestro work? How is it different from other job-seeker or recruitment platforms?
PB: We’re prioritising our talent above all else, creating a carefully curated group of Maestros who are empowered to thrive in their work while also making room for what drives their passion. Our goal isn’t just to connect them with job opportunities – we’re building a holistic ecosystem that provides access to a strong community, valuable resources, mentorship and events designed to keep them at the top of their game.
For us, community isn’t just an afterthought – it’s at the heart of everything we do. By investing in both professional growth and personal fulfilment, we’re shaping an environment where they don’t just succeed but truly excel. We believe this is what the future of work looks like and want to be part of the change.
MM: Personal branding has always been an important aspect of working in the creative knowledge sectors. It’s becoming increasingly important as the world becomes more and more digitally integrated. What are your thoughts on personal branding and what advice do you have to offer?
AA: Personal branding is critical in today’s workforce. Large companies used to be a safe haven, but in the last few decades, we’ve seen them go through restructuring, tightening and layoffs. Now, the wisest investment you can make is in yourself – that includes investing in your own personal brand, continual upskilling and learning.
The way we see it, personal brand is not just a compelling way to talk about your skills, it’s a way to ensure your skills and career choices line up with what you care about. We have features that allow Maestros to get clear on their personal and professional goals, vision for success and even invite them to imagine how they want to spend their time five years from now. This is a value-driven yardstick that can help them as they choose what projects to take on. We’re also working on a personal branding curriculum which we’re very excited about.
MM: What shifts are you seeing in the marketing, advertising and branding sectors?
PB: The rise of the personal brand, combined with increasingly discerning consumers who do their homework and investigate the brands they choose, means values alignment between brand and consumer has never mattered more.
Consumers today want to know everything about the brands they choose – from how they are made, to their track record as an employer to the sustainability of a supply chain. All parts of the business are now firmly on display. This has huge implications for marketing departments, as now the whole company has the potential to be part of your storytelling.
AA: We’re also seeing more companies operating with vulnerability at their core. This is a shortcut to building trust and means inviting your customers into your journey, being honest about your shortcomings, recognising that there will be bumps on the road towards your vision and giving them access to the inner workings of your business. This was the operating mode of startups, and it’s now the expected mode of corporations too. Vulnerability is showing up in many ways, but the most obvious is the increase in marketing strategies that now include a ‘peek behind the curtain’ and share content about the daily dalliances of company life –warts and all.
MM: What are the biggest challenges and opportunities within these industries?
AA: The abundance of data, combined with the speed of decision-making, can often mean we shortchange genuine and creative problem-solving in pursuit of pace. This can have dire consequences for any business and often leads to mediocre work. Truly interrogating a problem, injecting creativity and asking hard and upstream questions are fast becoming a luxury. However, to create a genuine moat between yourself and the competition, this mode of thinking needs to be a priority.
Peter: One of the biggest challenges in marketing today is the tension between brand and performance. The pressure to show immediate ROI has pushed many teams into a short-term mindset – optimising campaigns to death, chasing clicks over connection. But brands aren’t built-in spreadsheets. They’re built through storytelling, emotion and consistency over time.
The opportunity? We’re living in a golden age of tools – data, automation, AI – but it takes the right minds to make it all meaningful. That’s where Maestro comes in. Our business model is designed for agility, pairing organisations with top-tier, fractional talent who bring fresh thinking without the long lead times or legacy overheads. We give marketing leaders access to experienced strategists, creatives and specialists who can step in, lift the quality of thinking and challenge the brief – not just deliver on it.
MM: To what extent do you think these shifts are related to the rapid adoption of AI?
PB: In many ways, the trends we’ve outlined above are the countertrend to the prevalence of AI. The more pervasive tech becomes, the more we crave human connection. The best businesses will incorporate AI to automate behind-the-scenes tasks and use the time saved to double down on creating exceptional experiences that make us feel seen, valued and appreciated.
In essence, AI should be viewed as an enabler rather than a replacement – an invisible force working in the background to support and enhance human relationships, rather than diminish them. The future of business success won’t be determined solely by technological advancements, but by how well companies can use those advancements to foster deeper, more authentic connections with the people they serve.
MM: To what extent do you think these shifts come down to something else? What is the ‘something else’?
AA: The ‘something else’ that has exacerbated these trends is the sheer overwhelm people are experiencing. We’re busy, time-poor and overloaded with data. Human connection gives us reassurance and also becomes a critical factor in decision-making. When businesses act with vulnerability and offer unprecedented visibility into all parts of their business, they create trust, which creates connection. We think these will only matter more in the future.
MM: What advice do you have for our readers who might be contemplating their next move?
AA: Start by taking some time to imagine what you want your life to look like, what fires you up and how you want to be spending your time. Of course, this needs to be married with the realities of how much you need to make and how much time you have to give, but you need a view of where you want to get to first. Once you’ve articulated your vision; it’s easier to see what jobs will (or won’t) help you get there.
MM: What advice do you have for our readers who might be looking to bring on a specialist for a project or contract?
PB: Write a wishlist of the outcome you want, rather than what role you think you need. Titles are fast becoming irrelevant and we find most of our Maestros have metaskills that can adapt to a multitude of challenges. Getting clarity on the outcome you desire keeps you focused on what matters. We are always happy to help our clients articulate their needs and will always suggest a ‘standard’ way into the challenge as well as some unconventional approaches. The beauty of a fractional role is that it’s relatively low risk – especially when compared to making a full-time hire.
Annabel Acton
For 20 years, Annabel Acton has energetically brought creativity to the world of business. She has lived in Sydney, London, New York, Los Angeles and Melbourne, with roles at leading firms like TBWA, eatbigfish, ?What If! Innovation and Deloitte. In London, she immersed herself in challenger brands and upstream thinking, creating provocative and holistic brand strategies for global brands like SAB Miller, Crayola and New Balance. In New York, she developed new roadmaps, revenue and commercialisation strategies for global brands like PepsiCo, RSA & Abbott. This work also included helping teams organise for innovation by teaching the right behaviours and reinventing key innovation processes and structures. In a career twist, she launched her own start-up that unlocked a move to LA, a book deal, a product deal and a TV deal. Upon her return to Australia, Acton moved into the investment space, working for a large family office, then an early-stage venture capital firm, AfterWork Ventures. Her remit included opportunity identification, growth strategy and hands-on guidance to help portfolio companies shine.
Peter Bauld
Peter Bauld has a passion for driving growth in culturally mature, people-centric companies by leveraging skilled leadership, strategic insight, innovation and operational excellence. With a background in top-tier consulting, world-class advertising and successful start-up ventures, Bauld is experienced in scaling and structuring operating models, delivering profitable, high-quality work, attracting top-tier talent, and executing creative visions that enhance stakeholder, customer and employee engagement. In an ongoing pursuit of knowledge, he is currently pursuing a Senior Executive MBA at Melbourne Business School. Bauld is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and serves as an advisor to several start-ups affiliated with the Stone & Chalk Innovation Hub.
