MFA Re-Appoints Omnicom CEO Peter Horgan As Board Chair, Havas CEO Virginia Hyland To Deputise

The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) board has voted to reappoint Omnicom CEO Peter Horgan (left) as chair and Havas CEO Virginia Hyland (centre) as deputy chair.

Horgan will take on another two-year term as chair. Hyland is a new appointment in the deputy chair role, replacing consultant Megan Brownlow, who remains on the board.

The MFA board also reappointed Chris O’Keefe (right), chief operating officer of Match & Wood, as one of two independent media agency board directors following a “hotly contested” election.

MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “As an industry, we’ve never been stronger and that comes down to the work of the MFA Board, all of whom are active and engaged, and dedicated to making the media agency industry better at what we do for our clients and our people. Congratulations to Peter Horgan, Virginia Hyland and Chris O’Keefe on their election by their peers, and thank you to Megan Brownlow for her exceptional service as deputy chair over the past eight years. We are pleased she will continue to provide her experienced and objective guidance as a non-executive director.”

Horgan added, “2022 was a very productive year for the MFA with the creation of our industry purpose ‘We Are The Changers’; the launch of our industry-wide diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, Media For All; and bringing the industry back together at MFA EX. I am proud of the work we do together as a collective, benefitting our entire industry, and I am thankful to my fellow board members for re-electing me for another two-year term. I look forward to many more successes together throughout 2023.”

“I’ve been a passionate supporter of the MFA as an independent agency and then now as CEO of Havas Media. ‘We Are The Changers’ EVP has helped to further unify our dynamic industry, collectively elevating the work we do for clients and ensuring we attract and support diverse talent,” said Hyland.

“It’s a wonderful honour to be voted by my talented peers into the Deputy Chair position, and I’m committed to evolving our opportunity as a great industry.”

The MFA is working on establishing an industry ESG strategy, developing an industry action plan on workplace safety, including a robust industry framework for the prevention and reporting of workplace safety and expanding all its e-learning programs to three times per year.

The full board of the MFA comprises: