IAB Australia board appoint Network Ten’s Nick Spooner as new chairman

Nick Spooner, Chief Digital Media Officer of Network Ten, has been appointed as the incoming Chairman for IAB Australia.  Unanimously voted to the role by the IAB Australia Board, Mr Spooner will work closely with CEO Paul Fisher to promote the continued growth and success of the interactive advertising industry in Australia.

In announcing the appointment, the IAB Australia Board also recognised and thanked exiting Chairman Nic Cola for his leadership of the Board and his personal support and guidance for Paul Fisher over the past two years.

Mr Spooner will be the principal contact and reference for Paul Fisherbetween monthly Board meetings, will oversee the roll out of IABAustralia’s upcoming strategies; and Chair all IAB Australia Boardmeetings in accordance with industry best practice and currentcorporate governance legislation.  His appointment is effectiveimmediately.

Mr Spooner commented: “The IAB plays a crucial role in driving usforward as an advertising sector and in continuing the rapid growth inonline marketing and advertising.  It’s an honour to be chosen to leadthis charge over the next period of IAB’s development.

“Important initiatives are underway, not least of these being theonline audience measurement review which will allow our industry toclearly demonstrate to market the value we already know thatinteractive advertising represents.  This will be a key early area offocus for Paul and I, along with ensuring the IAB Awards coming up inJuly entrench their role as the showcase for the very best of theAustralian interactive advertising industry’s capabilities andcreativity.  

“Also critical will be our work in developing the necessaryinfrastructure – standards, guidelines, best practice, and research -to support the projected growth of the sector to $3 billion by the endof 2012, as the industry moves increasingly to a cross-media marketingenvironment for consumers, advertisers and media companies.

“I relish the challenge and I am looking forward to getting underway immediately with Paul and the IAB board,” said Mr Spooner.

Paul Fisher, IAB CEO commented: “During Nic Cola’s tenure as Chairmanof the IAB Board of Directors, the IAB’s scope of operations andrepresentation has grown substantially, with recent tangible outcomessuch as the publication of standards and guidelines for rich media, andonline video advertising, and a substantial suite of self regulatorybest practice principles for online behavioral advertising, the mostsignificant self-regulatory initiative this industry has seen in 15years.

“As Chairman, Nic has been a driver of the IAB’s role as an industryadvocate and accelerator of market growth, and his support for the IABand for me as CEO has been enormous. ON behalf of the members and staffof IAB Australia, I wish Nic well in his new role as CEO Marketplaces,Fairfax Media and thank him for his contribution to the IAB.

“The IAB now enters a new and exciting chapter in the industry’sgrowth, and under the Chairmanship of Nick Spooner, I look forward verymuch to completing much of what we have started, namely the onlineaudience measurement tender, and also taking the IAB further into therapid growth areas of online marketing and advertising. More detailsabout the specific new initiatives of the IAB will be announcedshortly,” said Mr Fisher.

Exiting Chairman Nic Cola said: “”I have thoroughly enjoyed myChairmanship of the IAB Board over the past two years, a period inwhich both the industry and the IAB have grown substantially. In thistime the IAB has focused on the core areas of growth of online audiencemeasurement, research, and standards and guidelines and has alsore-positioned the annual IAB Awards as the Australian interactiveadvertising industry’s showcase event. The IAB also incorporated as anot-for-profit organization with its own Constitution, and the Board ofDirectors has expanded from seven to 11 Directors.

“I am especially pleased the IAB embarked upon the most comprehensiveevaluation of online audience measurement methodology ever undertakenin this country, a process which under Nick Spooner’s Chairmanship andPaul Fisher’s excellent leadership, will be completed by the IAB in thefirst half of 2011. I wish Nick and the IAB continued success as itsupports the double digit growth forecast for the industry in thecoming years,” said Mr Cola.