Ms Vikki Maver

Ms Vikki Maver is the Founder of two prominent Australian businesses. The first is Refresh Marketing (RM), the nation’s longest-running dedicated copywriting agency. The second is Communication Skills Academy (CSA), a corporate training business focused on the human side of success: communication, connection and influence.

RM began in 2003 as a one-woman operation that has since grown into a team of eight skilled copywriters and marketers. Today, RM continues to thrive by adapting to change – harnessing AI tools to bring a sharper, more strategic approach, while staying true to the human creativity and insight that underpin strong communication.

A defining ingredient of RM’s approach is helping organisations articulate and protect their distinctive brand voice. This balance has allowed RM to pivot with the times and remain stable through shifting business landscapes.

In 2024, Ms Maver launched CSA to meet a growing need she had long observed: the demand for clear, impactful workplace communication. Since 2008, she’s been equipping teams across industries with stronger communication skills. Today, she is one of Australia’s most sought-after writing skills trainers, as the presenter of choice for blue-chip brands such as McDonald’s, Ralph Lauren, Nine, ANZ, ASIC and World Vision.

Ms Maver’s story, however, began closer to home – right here at Monash University, where her connection still runs deep.

She completed a double degree in Business (Marketing) and Arts (Psychology) in the mid-1990s, which laid the foundation for a career that blends business nous with human understanding. A decade later, she returned as a lecturer in the Department of Marketing, passing on her experience to the next generation of marketers.

Outside the lecture theatre, Ms Maver is proud to count Monash among her longest-standing clients. Together with her team, she has delivered copywriting across multiple faculties and provided communication training to staff throughout the university. A highlight of this collaboration has been a seven-year partnership with the Monash Marketing Students’ Society (MMSS) where Vikki and her team work alongside and mentor final-year students to bring the annual MMSS Careers Book to life.

Ms Maver’s work continues to prove that in an age of rapid change and AI, it’s the distinctly human skills – clarity, empathy and influence – that remain the most powerful tools in business and beyond.