This article was originally published in B&T, as part of the Melbourne Confidential series.

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Melbourne Confidential: Tim Kidman

‍In this series, we’re taking a look at some of the most creative faces in Melbourne with some help from our friend Kathleen Gunther, who partners with independent agencies across Australia and New Zealand to scale their brand presence and drive sustainable growth. This week, we spoke with Tim Kidman, CEO of The Fuel Agency.

1. How long have you been in Melbourne? Did you choose it or did it choose you?

Melbourne born and bred, although my first language was Dutch. Dad’s advertising career was Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Erickson etc and took us to London and Amsterdam. I said I’d never go into advertising. That went well.

Childhood was bikes, canals, and football in Holland, then street cricket, swimming pools and 20-cent lolly raids on the local milk-bar.

Later, running Chasers taught me promotion, sponsorship negotiations, managing egos and building brands. It was a crazy, fun time until I decided I needed a real job and an education. Managing the Metro got me through uni: studying by day, getting paid for what I’d have been doing anyway at night.

Melbourne hummed with possibility then. People were creating, starting businesses, happy and optimistic. Everything felt alive with energy and opportunity. It was a wonderful time to be young and figuring out what came next.

2. What’s the most Melbourne thing about the way you or your team works?

We’ve gone from the old Rosella building in Cremorne, with the Cherry Tree around the corner and colourful local gangster stories, to St Kilda Road, where so much of Melbourne’s advertising history was written.

Somewhere along the way, the coffee machine became serious equipment. After 26 years, it’s still the people, conversations and challenges that inspire. The address has changed, but the enjoyment of getting interesting people together to solve a problem hasn’t. All very Melbourne. And the coffee. Fuel by name…

3. Who in the local industry has shaped the way you think about leadership or doing business?

Dad, although I spent years insisting I wouldn’t follow him. He loved advertising’s creativity, camaraderie, and characters. But an executive clean-out in the late ’80s cost him his position. His identity was so tied to work that it affected our whole family.

Watching that taught me that doing a great job doesn’t guarantee security. I wanted to own my decisions and take responsibility for where they led.

I started Fuel in 2000 without ever having worked in an agency, armed with blind enthusiasm and determination. Clients, colleagues, and mistakes became my teachers. Twenty-six years later, I know ownership offers no guarantees either. But Dad gave me the drive and resolve to find my own way.

4. If you had your time again, would you still be doing what you’re doing now?

Yes. Fuel has opened doors to almost every industry and extraordinary challenges. I love getting inside a business, untangling problems, and turning ideas into something that works.

Mum said I should’ve been a motivational speaker. I enjoy helping people see what’s possible but want to stay for the part where we make it happen.

One of my four boys now works with us a few days a week. His fresh thinking, design and software development skills are changing how we solve problems. Watching that has been a joy; I’m learning from him.

With another son keen to apply his business degree, something I started might become something we build together.

Giving them some of the opportunity and fulfilment Fuel’s given me would mean a great deal.

5. What Melbourne artist or band’s song would you choose as your ‘walk-up’ song?

Not a Melbourne artist, but I’ll stick to my nightclub nostalgia: “Get Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited. An entrance should bring energy, a little drama and leave people wanting more. A great intro makes all the difference. Whether I can live up to the introduction is another question.

Kathleen Gunther is the founder of Gunther Consulting, partnering with independent agencies across Australia and New Zealand to scale their brand presence and drive sustainable growth. With expertise spanning digital marketing, brand strategy, PR and communications, she brings the pragmatism, specialist connections and industry know-how to help agencies market their most important client — themselves. Kathleen also serves as a Board Member of AWIA, actively shaping Australia’s digital landscape and championing inclusivity in the industry.

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