2026 Judge's Profile

Sharyn Smith is the Founder and CEO of Social Soup, Australia and New Zealand’s longest-running influencer marketing company. Since founding the business in 2007, Sharyn has built Social Soup into the country’s leading community-first influence agency, working with some of Australia’s biggest brands and growing a community of more than 200,000 real people who trial, review, create and advocate. Under her leadership, Social Soup received industry recognition for its excellence in influencer and creator marketing, further strengthening its reputation within the sector. Sharyn is a former chair of the Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) and currently sits on its board. She is a regular speaker and commentator on influence strategy, the creator economy, AI-driven brand discovery and the future of consumer trust. Sharyn is recognised as one of the most experienced influence strategists in Australia and New Zealand.