AMI's Bronwyn Heys Named Zambrero CMO in Major Career Pivot

Bronwyn Heys spent four years steering the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI), the peak body representing marketing professionals across the country. Now she has swapped association leadership for a frontline brand role, joining Mexican food chain Zambrero as its chief marketing officer.

Heys departed AMI in April 2026. Within weeks, she was installed as CMO at Zambrero, part of the broader Prince Group portfolio. Kathryn Illy stepped in as AMI's interim chief executive following her exit.

The appointment is not the only senior marketing move at Prince Group. The parent company also recently brought in Simon Cheng, the former CMO of food delivery platform Menulog, as a partner across its portfolio including Zambrero.

From industry body to brand: what the shift signals

Running a professional association and running a brand's marketing function require very different skills. At a body like AMI, the job is to grow membership, build the industry's reputation, and roll out programs that help marketers do their jobs better. At a consumer brand, the brief flips: you are in the market every day, managing campaigns, channels, customer experience, and franchise relationships.

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Heys led AMI's growth during her four-year tenure, including expanding membership and reshaping how the organization operated. She also oversaw the rollout of a marketing competency framework and digital assessment tools designed to help marketers measure and develop their skills. That work was about lifting the profession from the inside.

At Zambrero, the task is different. Heys described her first weeks in the role as an immersion across product innovation, customer experience, digital, media, creative, team development, franchise partnerships, and new growth opportunities. That breadth reflects what a CMO at a fast-growing restaurant chain actually has to hold together.

What Heys says about the move

Heys took to LinkedIn a month into the role, and her words are telling. "One month into my new role as chief marketing officer at Zambrero and I can honestly say it feels great to be back in the front line of marketing," she said.

She highlighted the culture she found at Zambrero. "What has struck me most in this first month is the energy, ambition and purpose that sits at the heart of this brand. Zambrero is not just growing fast, it is driven by a genuine mission to make a difference through its Plate 4 Plate initiative and the role it plays in communities."

That mission element is more than a talking point. Zambrero's Plate 4 Plate program donates a meal to someone in need for every item the chain sells. Food is distributed globally through charity partners to communities facing food insecurity. For a CMO, having a social mission built into the brand is a genuine point of difference to build campaigns around.

Heys also addressed the shift from her previous work. "After many years leading transformation, capability and industry change, it's exciting to once again be deeply involved in the craft of modern marketing and helping shape the next chapter of a brand with enormous potential," she said.

Senior marketing expansion at Prince Group

Heys' appointment sits inside a deliberate push by Prince Group to build out senior marketing leadership. The hiring of Cheng alongside Heys means the portfolio now has two executives with deep marketing backgrounds working across the business.

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Cheng served nearly seven years as Menulog CMO before the platform ceased Australian operations in November 2025. He also serves as a non-executive director of AMI, the same body that Heys led, making Prince Group's talent acquisition a direct draw on AMI's professional network.

Globally, CMO hiring activity is accelerating, with 501 new CMOs appointed in 2025, a 61.6% year-over-year increase. More than 83% were hired externally. Zambrero's investment in a senior external CMO hire reflects the broader industry shift toward treating the marketing function as a strategic growth driver.