Freedman: Mumbrella wrong, Margaret Zabel is only interim CEO of The Communications Council

November 18 2011, 11:19 am | BY Lynchy | 16 Comments

Margaret Zabel.jpgUPDATE: Mumbrella has blamed The Communications Council for its confusion. CB, B&T and AdNews all got the same email but, thankfully for the industry, were not confused.

Anthony Freedman, chairman of The Communications Council has re-confirmed that Margaret Zabel is only the interim CEO of the organisation, disputing a report by Mumbrella that she has been appointed full-time to the CEO role.

According to the Mumbrella story, “the Communications Council has confirmed former Lion Nathan marketer Margaret Zabel as CEO”.

Although, it would be an easy mistake to make by an inexperienced trade press journo after reading the email from Zabel (left) on Wednesday to Comms Council members (and the trade press), headed “Introducing our new CEO Margaret Zabel”,

The first line reads: “It is an absolute pleasure and privilege to accept the role of leading The Communications Council.”

Throughout the email (see below), including the signature title, the key word “interim” is missing!

As reported by CB last Friday, Zabel, ex national marketing director of Lion Nathan will assume the CEO role in the interim, whilst a search for a full time replacement for previous CEO Daniel Leesong is undertaken.

 

Dear member,

It is an absolute pleasure and privilege to accept the role of leading The Communications Council.

Following the amalgamation of the Council two years ago, there has been great progress in integrating all the member groups into one stronger body to champion commercial creativity, with clear strategic intent on its priorities, and taking into account specific membership needs and specialisations. I have been impressed by the passion and commitment of the board and team to make it all happen. So it was with no hesitation that I committed to helping shape the future direction of our industry.

Although my background has been predominantly from the corporate sector, “jumping the fence” was an easy decision. Personally, I am passionate about excellence in creativity, results and foresightful leadership and these are all values at the heart of the Council and this industry. Likewise, my previous marketing, sales and consulting roles, most recently as the Marketing Director at Lion Nathan, have given me excellent experience in communication, business management and industry regulation.

My focus over the immediate term will be to lead the team:

– To successfully deliver the committed member programs – such as the development of the Commercial Producers Council, Circus in its second year, the AWARD Speaker Series, the upcoming AdSchool graduation and Bravo awards

– To shape the strategy and priorities for the Council’s next stage with valuable feedback from the board and our members

– To serve the industry through well informed, collaborative and quality outcome focused support and proactive initiatives.

I will endeavour to meet as many of you as possible over the coming months and look forward to working closely with you. I also welcome and invite any of you to contact me at the Council if you have anything you would like to discuss.

With Christmas approaching, it will be an important (and busy) social time to celebrate for us all, so I also wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a safe and joyful holiday season.

Sincerely,

Margaret Zabel

CEO – The Communications Council