Derryn Heilbuth

Executive Chairman

Thirty-one years ago when Derryn founded BWD she understood then – as now – that communicating strategy requires an ability to think strategically, tell a compelling story and write, design, illustrate or animate messages in a way that connects emotionally and intellectually.

Studying French in Paris and English literature under author J.M. Coetzee instilled a love of language. Covering women’s issues as a newspaper journalist in apartheid South Africa taught her to question orthodoxies. Working on magazines and in television brought an appreciation of how each communication medium requires similar fundamentals: well-expressed, engaging content. And running Westpac’s publications team introduced her to corporate storytelling.

Derryn loves dancing, particularly African-style. After being the only mother forced by her daughter to sit out at the year six mother-daughter dance, she now restricts her performances to the (happily) frequently-held extended family dinners. She also finds an outlet for creative expression in gardening, collecting art and providing interior design advice to her long-suffering children.