JCDecaux Australia & New Zealand CEO Steve O’Connor has announced the appointment of Tess Phillips as director of government & public relations.

Phillips joins JCDecaux from the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), where she was general manager.

In her newly created role at JCDecaux, Phillips will be responsible for leading JCDecaux’s ANZ regulatory affairs and corporate public relations, including engagement with industry bodies and leveraging JCDecaux’s corporate media and business strategies at a local level.

Phillips joined the OMA in 2015 as a senior policy adviser before becoming GM, government relations, overseeing the Out-of-Home peak body’s government relations and advocacy work. She was promoted to General Manager in 2017.

Phillips has more than a decade’s experience in government relations and policy. She has worked with the department of immigration and citizenship, the department of immigration and border protection, the department of social services and the pharmacy guild of Australia.

Commenting on her appointment, Phillips said: “I look forward to bringing to JCDecaux my background in government and policy and the advocacy work I have done for the Out-of-Home industry. I am thrilled to work closely with their leadership team and be a part of the many exciting initiatives that JCDecaux has underway.”

Phillips will be on the executive leadership team reporting to chief operating officer Andrew Hines and her role is effective from 1^st October 2019.