MFA Re-Appoints Peter Horgan As Chair

The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) board voted at yesterday’s annual general meeting to re-appoint Chair Peter Horgan (pictured), Deputy Chair Megan Brownlow and board members Katie Rigg-Smith and Mark Lollback for further two-year terms, and appointed Chris O’Keefe as one of two independent media agency board directors.

O’Keefe, the managing partner of independent media agency Match & Wood, with offices in Melbourne and Perth, joins This Is Flow CEO & Founder Jimmy Hyett as the second independent representative – replacing Bohemia Group CEO Brett Dawson, who is stepping down after six years on the board.

As an independent agency representative, Dawson’s position on the board was voted by his peers, who elected him for three two-year terms. Prior to being on the board, he was chair of the MFA Awards Committee.

MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “Brett has been one of the most active and engaged members of the MFA community and has played an important role in the industry, including as a strong voice advocating for independent agencies. The board thanks him for his unwavering commitment over the years. In welcoming Chris, we’ll have another strong independent voice who will bring a valuable multi-market perspective and help drive the agenda for all regions across Australia.”

Madden also thanked all 2020 MFA Board directors for their work during the year. She added: “In my view, the MFA board is one of the hardest working at the best of times, and as we all know 2020 has been particularly challenging. Among our proudest achievements this year were the launch of MFA Support, a program supporting media agency professionals who lost their job due to the Covid-19 pandemic; the expansion of our e-learning programs; and important industry collaborations, such as the Australian Digital Advertising Practices with the AANA and IAB and the AILA programs with the Advertising Council Australia.”

Chris O’Keefe said: “I’m passionate about the work that media agencies do and I want to see the industry and our people flourish. A seat on the MFA Board is a great way to affect change on a larger scale. I look forward to working with my fellow board members to continue to elevate the perception of media agencies, to increase trust, and to ensure we are valued for our specialised skills – not just by CMOs, but also CEOs and CFOs.”

Peter Horgan, MFA Chair and CEO of Omnicom Media Group, added: “I am grateful to my fellow MFA board directors for re-electing me for another two-year term. I’m proud of everything we achieved together in this challenging year, in particular the launch of MFA Support and expansion of the NGEN and MFA 5+ programs, and I plan to return next year with greater energy and commitment to tackle what 2021 has to throw at us.”

The full board of the MFA comprises:

Sophie Madden, CEO, MFA
Peter Horgan, CEO, Omnicom Media Group ANZ – Chair
Megan Brownlow, Non-executive Director – Deputy Chair
Mark Coad, CEO, IPG Mediabrands Australia
Mark Lollback, CEO, GroupM ANZ
Michael Rebelo, CEO, Publicis Groupe ANZ
Imogen Hewitt, CEO, Spark Foundry
Katie Rigg-Smith, CEO, Mindshare Australia
Mel Fein, CEO, Initiative Australia
Sue Squillace, CEO, Carat ANZ
Aimee Buchanan, CEO, OMD
Jimmy Hyett, Managing Director & Founder, This Is Flow
Chris O’Keefe, Managing Partner, Match & Wood

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