European media infrastructure owner Wildstone has announced plans to launch and scale in Australia’s OOH market, marking the next stage of the company’s international expansion.
Following successful growth across Europe, where it has acquired and developed over 5,000 static and digital OOH assets since 2010, Wildstone said it “sees Australia as the ideal market to replicate its success.”
The company aims to acquire existing OOH portfolios and individual sites, develop new locations, and convert existing static sites to digital.
Digitisation of static OOH sites is a key priority for Wildstone in particular, with the company aiming to bring more innovative, forward-thinking digital solutions to the Australian market, in turn maximising commercial opportunities for both Australian media operators and landlords.
Wildstone has appointed Noel Cook to be the managing director of Australia, where he will be responsible for establishing and expanding Wildstone’s footprint across the region. Cook has over 30 years of leadership experience in Australia’s OOH sector, including his role as a co-founder of oOh! Media with his brother Brendon – Australia and New Zealand’s leading OOH advertising company with a network of more than 35,000 locations.
In addition to a market-leading track record in OOH sales, operations, production, digital conversions, and site development, Cook has undertaken over 30 outdoor advertising M&A transactions and has served as a board member of Australia’s Outdoor Media Association.
Wildstone has been attracted to the Australian market due to its double-digit growth, significant digital revenue increases, a landscape of strong independent billboard media operators, and its potential as a bridge towards the company’s expansion into other APAC markets in the coming years.
Damian Cox, founder and CEO, Wildstone said: “Our expansion into Australia marks a significant milestone for Wildstone. The market offers tremendous growth potential, particularly in the digitisation of existing sites. We have long admired Noel’s work and are thrilled to have him join our team. His exceptional pedigree in the world of OOH and DOOH will be instrumental in helping us achieve all the goals we have set.”
Noel Cook, managing director – Australia, Wildstone added: “Wildstone’s track record, leadership and expertise in Europe speak for themselves, and there is immense growth potential for their world-class platform in the Australian market. I’m particularly excited to help them deliver the benefits of digitisation to Australia, which will help maximise opportunities for landlords and media buyers across the country.”
