Julie Flynn, interim CEO of Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), spoke to AdNews about her time at the national body and and what’s coming next for her.
Originally Flynn expected to have the position for three months after John Broome stepped down in 2021 but that stretched to 15 months because of recurring lockdowns.
KPMG's Josh Faulks becomes the new CEO of AANA this month following an extensive and highly competitive international search process.
Flynn, a journalist by profession and a former CEO of Free TV Australia and of Freeview Australia, said: “It's been a fantastic, really busy and interesting time with just so much happening.
“One of the things the position has reminded me of is that Australia has such a resistant and strong creative advertising industry.
“The AANA’s key role in championing responsible advertising has never been more important. Right now here and overseas governments are seeking to impose tighter regulations on advertisers, and it is very important to be able to demonstrate that the industry at large is forward looking, committed to working with governments and responsive to community expectations.
“I absolutely believe we have a world's best system of self regulation with AANA and Ad Standards consulting widely with the industry, government, community and regulators to deliver timely and free responses.
“The other thing that's really struck me in the last 12 months is that there's been a very collaborative approach across all the various groups - whether it's advertisers, agencies, creatives, media - people are working together really well.
“I was also really impressed with the AANA’s leading role in assisting advertisers to meet the industry’s challenges of today such as sustainability, diversity, inclusion and digital transparency.
“We're very fortunate to be a member of the World Federation of Advertisers [WFA] because they're playing a leading role in assisting advertisers to be part of the race to net zero through planet pledge which AANA have become a partner of.
“AANA will take a role in promoting WFA’s next DEI census in 2023, which is the world’s first DEI census of the advertising industry.
“Last but not least, RESET has been our flagship event since I started, the buzz in the room was amazing and it was great to see the industry bounce back after three years of lockdowns.
“And next year’s conference is going to be bigger and better.
“I'm really excited AANA has got Josh Faulks to take the job on a full time basis, he's going to bring a strong focus and a very clear vision to the industry.
“Though I've known him for years, I was not involved in the process of selecting someone, but I did think about who would be good for the position and his name was definitely at the top of my list.
“Josh has got breath in a way that we've never seen before from AANA.
“I'm looking forward to doing some travelling and then just saying what comes next.
“I am available for things, I don't want to take anything on a long term basis. I’ve done number of things like a government review and a similar role for free view all within the broad area of broadcast and print media.
“I will continue to be an independent journalist for the Press Council, and I think it's really important that's my sort of giving back a bit.”
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