The ABC has appointed Simon Davies of OMD following the resignation of Tracie Michael from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) Executive Committee and the General Committee.
As Head of Publishing and Print at OMD Sydney, Simon Davies manages a specialist team of twelve, and moved to his current position in 2003 following stints at ACP Magazines and Murdoch Magazines as Group Sales Director. Originally from the UK, Davies has worked extensively in the Australian and New Zealand media marketplace for both media owners and media buyers.
The Executive Committee consists of five members that are elected annually. One member is chosen from each of the membership categories: Advertisers, Advertising Agencies and Metropolitan Newspapers, Magazines and Regional and Country Press who serve in an honorary capacity.
Mr Davies, as the new agency representative, joins Scott McClellan of the AANA and Eugene Varricchio of ACP Magazines as committee members, along with Treasurer Alan Pont of Fairfax Media, and the Chairman of the ABC, Dr Stephen Hollings of News Limited.
Davies is already an active member of the ABC Rule Review Sub-Committee and has a solid understanding of the ABC’s processes and aims. The move was effective 15 February and Simon Davies stated at the time that he was looking forward to joining the Executive Committee, which is responsible for steering the strategic direction of the ABC and overseeing the day to day operations of the organisation.
“The ABC has a long history of having excellent relationships with the advertising agency section of the media industry,” said Davies, “which I am proud to continue through my position on the Executive Committee.”
“Accountability for media spend has never been more important and ABC’s focus of delivering quality audited data remains vital,” Davies was quoted as saying on 15 February. “2011 is shaping up as a landmark year for the ABC with the current rule reviews for print media reporting and development of digital or tablet format reporting. I look forward to working with publishers and advertisers to bring the agency perspective to the discussions.”
The outgoing agency representative, Tracie Michael, the CEO of Australia of Initiative, served the ABC EC for four years. She was actively involved with the ABC however from 2004 when she was elected to the General Committee. Ms Michael then stepped up to the role as an Executive Committee member in 2007 and was elected for the past two terms as Deputy Chair.
During her tenure on the ABC Executive Committee, Tracie Michael was involved in wide-ranging changes including a complete rule re-write in 2006, and the launch of new branding under the ABA umbrella.
Dr Stephen Hollings, ABC Chairman and Director of Sales Strategy for News Ltd, was upbeat about Davies joining the organisation, and full of praise for Ms Michael’s valuable input over the seven years of her involvement.
“We will miss Tracie Michael’s incisive comments on major issues, and she has made a significant contribution to the Audit Bureau. Having Simon Davies replace her will ensure the appropriate continuity and he will be an asset to the ABC. He brings with him an excellent working knowledge of the ABC coupled with an in-depth agency perspective.”
Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations, Dr Stephen Hollings, Simon Davies.
By: Philip Jenkinson
