Chairmanship of OMA moves from APN head Richard Herring to JC Decaux’s boss Steve O’Connor
The chairman of the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) Richard Herring, who is head of APN, is stepping down to be replaced by JC Decaux CEO Steve O’Connor.
The release:
JCDecaux Chief Executive Steve O’Connor will replace Richard Herring, CEO of APN Outdoor as the Chairman of the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) and MOVE (Measurement of Outdoor Visibility and Exposure).
The appointment was made at the OMA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held last night at Harbour 220 in Sydney. The AGM was attended by over 100 members from the Out-of-Home (OOH) industry.
Mr O’Connor thanked the outgoing Chairman Mr Herring for his vision and directorship of the OMA saying “Under Richard’s leadership the industry has united around critical issues such as audience measurement, content management, government regulation and marketing and research. The OMA is in a very strong position and I am excited to be stepping into the chairmanship at a time when the industry is so well poised for future growth.”
Richard Herring was Chairman of the OMA and MOVE since 2011 and in that time led the industry through unprecedented revenue growth, ending 2013 with net revenue of $543.8 million. Mr Herring will continue as a member of the Board of Directors of the OMA and MOVE.
Mr O’Connor has over 23 years’ experience in the OOH advertising industry having started as Sales Manager with Buspak in 1990, then appointed CEO of Buspak Hong Kong six years later. Steve became CEO for Buspak Australia and New Zealand in 1998, and grew the organisation over six years, stablishing himself as a dynamic and leading force in the OOH industry. In 2004, Steve joined JCDecaux as CEO of its Australian operations and is currently responsible for more than 140 staff and a varied portfolio including street furniture, transit and billboard advertising. He has been a member of the OMA Board since 2004.
OMA’s CEO Charmaine Moldrich said “Steve has been an invaluable member of the OMA Board, and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role. His experience in the OOH industry both in Australia and oversees, coupled with his passion and enthusiasm for the medium will help us drive the industry forward.”
Mr. O’Connor said, “In my capacity as Chairman, I aim to identify industry-wide growth opportunities, ensure that we can realise this potential and work with the OMA to sustain our current growth trajectory.”
He continued saying, “In international markets we are seeing some very clear growth drivers such as investment in digital signage and the increasing penetration of smart phones and mobile connectivity. While this technology plays an important role for the future of our industry, it is also critical that we maintain and evolve our established systems such as the industry’s audience measurement software MOVE.
Regular data updates, increasing the depth of the data and improving functionality of the software will continue to be a focus for the coming years.” Steve was the foundation Chairman of MOVE during its development phase and was instrumental in bringing MOVE to market in 2010.”
Mr O’Connor will be responsible for leading a board of 10 members who will determine and develop strategy for the OOH industry.
“On behalf of the staff and members of the OMA I would like to thank Richard for his commitment as Chairman,” said Ms Moldrich. “We have all benefited from his strong vision, clear direction and honest counsel. I am very pleased that Richard will be staying on the Board as his knowledge, commitment and expertise is of great value to the industry.”
The OMA Board includes: Rob Atkinson, CEO of Adshel, Brad Bishopp, CEO of Bishopp Outdoor Advertising, Matthew Byrne, Director of ROVA Media, Brendon Cook, CEO of oOh! Media, Richard Herring, CEO of APN Outdoor, Steve O’Connor, CEO of JCDecaux, Charles Parry-Okedon, CEO of Executive Channel, Peter Savage, Executive Director, Metrospace Outdoor Advertising, Chris Tyquin, Joint Managing Director of goa and Leah Whitford, Joint Managing Director of Independent Outdoor Media.
Mr O’Connor will make his first public appearance as Chairman of the OMA at Mumbrella360 as a panellist for The Future of #OOH to be held at 4pm, 4 June 2014, at the Hilton, Sydney CBD.
Mr O’Connor’s appointment is effective immediately.
Source: OMA media release
