22 AUGUST 2008

THE POWER BROKERS IN AUSTRALIAN ADVERTISING, MEDIA AND MARKETING

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THE FACE OF POWER

Power can come and go, or it can shift in unexpected directions. Compiling a list of the most powerful and influential people in the advertising, marketing and media industries is an effective way of tracking the changing landscape. When AdNews first compiled the Power 50 list in 2005, Kerry Packer and son James were comfortable at number one, John Singleton was in the top 10, Sam Chisholm was running Channel Nine and Alex Hamill was negotiating the sale of George Patterson and a raft of other companies to WPP . Over the past three years, a number of power players have made spectacular entries onto the list and spectacular exits in the case of short-lived Nine CEO Eddie McGuire while others dropped off only to reappear ad man and author Nigel Marsh makes a return this year. The DNA of the Power 50 changed dramatically last year. The money men of the private equity world made their first appearances, and CVCs Adrian MacKenzie and KKRs Justin Reizes return this year. It is very likely that in three years or less, the private equity heavyweights will abandon the media game, but for now they are on this list. Measuring power is not an entirely objective exercise and this list is our interpretation of the industry and the players within it. In choosing the 50 men and women represented here, AdNews took into account a set of criteria, including: budgets and staff under their control; breadth of responsibilities; levels of independence and autonomy; connections; company performance; community standing; and industry respect. If youre wondering why Rupert Murdoch isnt on this list, you must live and work in Australia the majority of the time to qualify. Clearly, there are plenty of people who could have easily made this list thats why the Bruised Ego 50 is back again this year. Enjoy!
Andrea Sophocleous, editor

POWER PLAYER
John Hartigan Kerry Stokes Sol Trujillo Harold Mitchell David Kirk Adrian MacKenzie

2008 rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

2007 rank 2 1 3 5 11 4 8 7 9 13 20 12 16 17 18 21 14 10 22 28 24 49 32 33 6 25 34 39 35 45 48 41 37 19 43 40 44 46

2006 rank 3 5 2 4 9 8 12 17 15 13 30 24 10 42 27 38 23 35 1 22 33 41 29 34 16 37 47 39

2005 rank 5 8 2 4 9 17 16 11 30 24 7 34 26 47 20 41 1* 21 37 43 36 14 38 40

Gerry Harvey & Katie Page Ron Walker Richard Goyder Amanda Johnston Michael Luscombe David Buttner David Gyngell David Leckie Robert Morgan John B Fairfax Andrew Gordon Gavin OReilly James Parkinson Ian Alwill Ian Law Karim Temsamani Justin Reizes Mark Buckman Belinda Rowe Sally Herman Tim Hughes Graeme Wills Kim Williams James Packer John Sintras Michael Anderson Grant Blackley Martin OHalloran Nigel Marsh

CONTENTS

4. THE POWERS THAT BE

How media fragmentation has shattered the traditional balance and fostered a new power agenda. Dave Clutterbuck reports.

14. PEOPLE POWER

Paul McIntyre explores how powerbrokers maintain their positions and use their power to lead their companies forward.

35. BRUISED EGO 50

Missed out? Dont worry, youre not alone.

Philip Salter & Peter Mattick 36

GOING, GOING, GONE

Who dropped off the Power 50 this year and why
JOHN ALEXANDER (15) power diminished as CMH executive chairman CMHs share of PBL Media is just 25% RUSSELL TATE (23) stepped down as executive chairman of STW to become a non-executive director & deputy chairman RICHARD KIMBER (26) moved from Google to Friendster; replaced on the list by Googles Karim Temsamani NICK FALLOON (27) now only part-time at Network Ten while he pursues other interests; replaced in the Power 50 by Grant Blackley JOHN KIRBY (29) Village Roadshows chairman dropped off the list as other entrants jostled for space KAREN WONG (30) left Coca-Cola Australia MAX MOORE-WILTON (36) his influence at Macquarie Media Group has waned MATT MCGRATH (38) stepped aside as Y&R Brands CEO to make room for Nigel Marsh PAUL THOMPSON (47) stepped down as DMG Radio executive chairman JOHN SINGLETON (50) sold out of STW entirely; his new agency Banjo is too new to rate

Mark Sundquist Lee Stephens James Warburton Joe Pollard Gary Hardwick Ken Steinke Brendan Hopkins Mat Baxter Darren Woolley Mark Coad Tom Moult Jack Matthews Mark Dorney Tom Dery * With father Kerry Packer

Profiles compiled by Mark Chenery, John Davidson, Heather Jennings, Victoria Lea, Nina Lees, Nikki MacLennan, Andrea Sophocleous and Lia Timson.

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AdNews

The powers
that be
How media fragmentation has shattered traditional ties and fostered a new power agenda. By Dave Clutterbuck.
Power in the advertising, media and marketing game has traditionally been about building and maintaining relationships. But the push and pull of a fragmenting media landscape and the land-grabbing opportunities arising from diminishing media regulation have allowed a new, more aggressive agenda to flourish. Once cosy connections, forged on fairways and across table linen, are being prised apart by a new generation of operators posing the hard-nosed question: What can you do for me? Advertisers are looking to make sense of the myriad channels to market and, thanks to Google and a looming recession, choose the most accountable and effective route to the customer. Media and creative agencies are scrambling to establish a bridgehead deep within client marketing departments to prove their worth. And media owners are busy delivering consumer insights by the Powerpoint-load to achieve the same goal. Hurrying this new agenda along is a much more powerful consumer, informed on choice and pricing by the internet, in control of media consumption and alarmed and armed over the social changes that theyre witnessing. As a result, the balance of power within the advertising, media and marketing industry has shifted substantially. Heres how things have changed.

ADVERTISERS ARE MORE POWERFUL

A presentation at a meeting of the Australian Association of National Advertisers some years ago included an illustration of an elephant, covered in fleas. At the time, the big-spending marketers in the room identified with the fleas, rather than the elephant. It is only recently, contends one of the attendees, that they have woken up to the fact that they are the elephant. This is not all bad news for the fleas agencies and media owners. Marketing as a discipline has scaled the corporate ladder, meaning its taken more seriously by the executives holding the purse strings. MindShare chief executive Chris Walton argues that for listed companies, the intangible value of a brand accounts for an ever-greater chunk of the total value of a company. Consequently, corporate advertising spend lies increasingly in the hands of real decision-makers. The explosion in media channels has given advertisers decisions to make and opportunities to test out new approaches.

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Following the lead of Procter & Gamble, the worlds largest advertiser, local marketers are experimenting. Home loan broker Aussie shoved 100% of its media spend online in the month of March while Unilever Australia claims 20% of its total ad spend will go online by 2009. The digital age has matured to the point where businesses may succeed or fail in the future based on decisions being made today around their digital strategy, argues Amnesia creative director Iain McDonald.

commoditised buying functions now delivered by agencies. Media agencies have a strong case to advise clients against cutting them out of the picture, however. So-called disintermediation only works when the middleman has nothing additional to put on the table. Agencies can offer two things Google cant: a degree of neutrality, and

MEDIA AGENCIES CAN BE MORE POWERFUL

The winds of change wreaked by the digital revolution have delivered both good and bad news for media agencies. On the one hand, more choice means more confusion on the part of clients. It means greater need for advice, metrics, research, planning and all the other valueadds that have become the stock-in-trade for big media shops. This notion is summed up by WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell: The more complex the media choice, the more valuable we become and the more important we become. On the other hand, the rise of Google threatens a decent chunk of the

The more complex the media choice, the more valuable we become and the more important we become.
Sir Martin Sorrell

expertise in making sense of the choice and the results. Performance-based remuneration is an important tool here in protecting the media agency powerbase. Bringing value to the marketing process is vital for the survival of media agencies and they know it. Thats why they have diversified away from just buying space and into data provision and interpretation,

namely consumer research, analysis of media habits and purchase tracking data. Throwing his customary grenade under the arguments of the big buying houses is Naked Communications chief executive Mat Baxter, who claims media buyers are less in control than they profess to be. They [media agencies] are budget clearing houses rather than media advisors, Baxter says. In many cases buyers are simply acting on instruction. Clients have recognised the importance of getting the strategy right and so those that just depend on volume to generate revenue will be hardest hit ad agencies on production and media agencies on buying. Baxter names research firms such as The Leading Edge and Pollinate, and media strategy shops such as Bellamy Hayden, Match and, predictably, Naked, as the operators at the bleeding edge of media decision-making. These companies, says Baxter, are managing the clients intellectual budget, a far more important function than buying media space. Media buyers, not surprisingly, disagree. The media agency of today does not have an identity crisis, says Universal McCann managing director Henry Tajer. We know that we add value right throughout the

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process and we know what we are good at. And the future looks very exciting.

AD AGENCIES ARE UNDER PRESSURE

Playing devils advocate, whats to stop an advertiser from following the Harvey Norman model and taking creative in-house? Not a lot, says one marketer, who claims there has recently been more than just boastful grandstanding from some major Australian advertisers. This might be a fanciful notion, and as yet, there is no evidence of a marketer setting up a Generic Publications-style operation like Harvey Norman. But the threat of other parties cutting ad agencies grass is real nonetheless. ACP Magazines has a successful and growing creative services division that dwarfs most ad agencies in Australia. Its stablemate, the Nine Network, has significant direct relationships with clients through its in-house creative arm, 9mm. Other media owners with large in-house capabilities include News Limited, Fairfax Media and Seven. Internationally, this trend is also growing US TV network NBCs in-house agency employs 225 people and churned out 30,000 TV spots last year. Leo Burnett CEO Todd Sampson believes media owners are growing in power as they develop closer direct relationships with clients. Im not certain if this is good or bad but I am certain that media not seen in the overall context of branding is generally a waste of money, he cautions. And this is where ad agencies can fight back. They are, or should be, the guardian of the brand. Let media owners have direct access to the client after all, this is more of a threat to media agencies than creative ones. Let media owners put their hands up to execute cheap material, especially work integrated with content. And let media agencies talk to the client about media planning. But dont lose control of the brand. Strategy and creative are the big guns here. Getting the agency to think about the bigger issues facing the business can dramatically improve the chances of coming up with original solutions, says Sampson. In this economic environment, creativity may be the last remaining competitive advantage available.

Private equity has given the likes of Seven and PBL large war chests and in the case of PBL, large debt levels too. An easing of media regulation has given media owners a gilt-edged chance to consolidate their power in their own sector, and through group deals, in marketing budgets too. Despite their size, media owners are still at the bottom of the food chain, but the most innovative among them are certainly starting to change this. Strategy is again the key battlefield. Like media and creative agencies, media owners are seeking to deliver strategic insights direct to clients. The focus is firmly on results because as Baxter says, media owners are no longer able to rely on the heritage of their brands to make budget; they must deliver return on investment for their clients. Media owners are only as good as the last time they delivered a client results, Baxter says. Look at Nine; the minute that heritage became compromised, its power waned. One potential silver lining accompanying the dark clouds of recession for media

MindShare and Fox8 on reality TV show Football Superstar for Kelloggs Nutri-Grain. The production, supply and accessibility of great content is increasingly important, Walton says.

THE CUSTOMER IS STILL KING

Digital media has empowered consumers like never before, forcing marketers to rethink their media strategies, which in turn, has major implications for agencies. The new digital consumer and the social digital media game changes the dynamic forever, says Amnesias McDonald. This is no longer a straightforward media buy, and cannot be activated through push marketing. The lines between strategy, creative and media have blurred. But customer power also lies in our increasing ability to regulate adland. Lobby groups such as the Pedestrian Council, the Parents Jury, the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children and the Cancer Council of Australia have had significant success in ring-fencing advertisers. Community concerns about alcohol abuse, childhood obesity, the sexualisation of children and speeding, have seen the ad industry cop the brunt of the heat. The furore over childhood obesity and its claimed links to advertising is the fiercest since tobacco print advertising was banned in 1989. When the Australian Communications & Media Authority announced a review of childrens television standards last year, it received 20,521 postcards signed by individual members of the public, as part of the Cancer Councils Pull the Plug campaign. A ban on junk food advertising to children is a real possibility and the recent NSW alcopops tax has left advertisers in no doubt that the federal government is keen to seize on scapegoats and make bold, headline-grabbing if potentially pointless policy to appease lobby groups. The power of the consumer in this regard is evidenced by the embattled AANA, whose outgoing executive director sees fighting lobby groups as a personal crusade. A number [of lobby groups] have been quick to see the obesity issue as a means to gaining a foothold of advertising restrictions that can then be widened from food and beverages to all childrens advertising, thence to young people and so on, says Segelov. The AANAs rebuttal is in strengthened self-regulatory codes, but its not clear how long this argument will hold back the powerful brew of community concern and political expediency. There is comfort in the thought that there is a higher power at work in the world, and as it turns out, in adland, thats you.

Media not seen in the overall context of branding is generally a waste of money.
Todd Sampson

MEDIA OWNERS ARE FIGHTING ON MULTIPLE FRONTS

While it hasnt happened yet, ad spend will slow down in the near-term and media owners will suffer as a result. At the same time, big dollops of cash are moving into paid search and even direct mail is seeing significant growth in brand spend. Meanwhile, the big are getting bigger.

owners is the cost advantage they can offer clients on production. As well as the cost and control attraction to companies of in-house production, more media are offering to work direct, finding it relatively easy to offer pricing advantage over creative agencies, says AANA executive director Collin Segelov. And theyre not in this alone. Media agencies are looking to add value to clients in content creation. Content partnerships between media agency and media owner can pay dividends. MindShares Walton points to the collaboration between production house North One Television,

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1 JOHN HARTIGAN

UP

My name is John Kenneth Hartigan. Occupation: journalist. John Hartigans opening words to the Andrew Olle Media lecture in October 2007 say a lot about how he views himself. But as Rupert Murdochs right hand man in Australia, he is a lot more than just a journalist. Hartigan is chairman & CEO of News Limited, the countrys largest newspaper group and an increasingly influential media group. He has made a steady progress in the Power 50, starting at five in the inaugural list in 2005, he was third in 2006, second last year and is now on top. Hartigan has spent 38 years at News Limited and, aside from his trusted bond with Murdoch, he is revered for his unwavering support for journalists in a world of number-crunchers and bottom-line watchers. The past year saw Hartigan intensify his efforts on multiple fronts, from his pioneering leadership of Australias Right To Know coalition for free speech, to his involvement in Prime Minister Kevin Rudds 2020 Summit, to the environmental leadership stance of News Limiteds One Degree initiative. Hartigan doesnt just feel strongly about change, he makes change happen. As Tony Hale, head of newspaper industry body Newspaper Works, says: John is one of the most progressive, forward-thinking people in Australia. News Limited has taken great strides to strengthen its position in Australian media over the past year. News Magazines absorbed FPCs stable of titles and recently confirmed the launch of UK best-seller and international superbrand Glamour. The Australian recorded circulation lifts of 3.87% and 2% for its weekday and weekend editions respectively in the latest ABC audit, and revealed plans to launch a new monthly inserted business title this October, which will incorporate content from Murdochs Wall Street Journal. Hartigan is putting the right people in place for the future, says MediaCom chief executive Anne Parsons, pointing to appointments such as Tony Kendall as News Limited director of sales and Sandra Hook as CEO of News Magazines. Media buyers speak highly of News Limiteds PLACE OF BIRTH Sydney integration of its various assets and strengthening its CURRENT RESIDENCE Sydney advertising offering. One AGE 61 example was the recent formation of the newspaper POSITION News Limited chairman & CEO inserted magazines division, CAREER SNAPSHOT in which all NIMs were Hartigan started as a copy boy at Fairfax, before brought under one sales working as a News Limited journalist on the Daily Mirror, umbrella to consolidate the Londons The Sun and The New York Post. He became national platform offering editor of Sydneys Daily Telegraph in 1986. He was made group editorial director in 1997 before becoming that is News strength. CEO of News Limited in 2000 and chairman in 2005. Parsons also praises Hartigans evolution from INTERESTING FACT: true newspaper man to Hartigan is a huge AC/DC fan and is the proud owner of a media man with a the complete remastered back catalogue. demonstrated recognition and respect for the broader and changing media world. Despite News not having direct control over a TV network, Hartigan is chairman of the Australian News Channel, operator of Sky News, and is also a director of Foxtel, giving him significant sway in the pay TV sector. In Hartigans 2007 Andrew Olle Media Lecture he spoke of his longstanding passion for journalism, the

need to protect freedom of speech, and his strong rejection of the belief that quality journalism and commercial journalism are mutually exclusive. His decision to chair the Future of Australian Governance committee at the 2020 Summit in April was derided by certain News Limited journalists. True to his word, Hartigan defended their right to criticise him. Nonetheless, he told the ABCs Virginia Trioli: I want to be involved. I think that I can add something. As chairman and CEO of Australias Right to Know, Hartigan has called on the government for legislative reform to protect journalists. In June, Hartigan said News Limited had identified 125 new initiatives to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% over the next two years as part of its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2010. News Digital Media officially became carbon neutral in March this year. Outside News Limited, Hartigan is a director of The Bradman Foundation, the American Australian Association and the NSW Wine Industry Council. So, Hartigan takes top spot this year at the table of Australian powerbrokers. As Parsons says: If Rupert Murdoch is hailed as being successful, youthful and vital then his Australian leader drinks from the same fountain.

Kym Smoth, Newspix

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2 KERRY STOKES

DOWN

The last of the great Australian media owners. A battler, a fighter and a patriotic Australian. Passionate about television, passionate about art and passionate about the city where he made his name, Perth. All of these descriptions apply to Kerry Matthew Stokes. Unlike many of his media rivals, Stokes has done things the hard way as he worked his way up from the gutter to the top of the media mountain. With Kerry Packers passing in December 2005, James Packers focus on gambling, and Bruce Gordon and Rupert Murdochs offshore relocation, Stokes is the last of the powerful Aussie media moguls. Highly vocal and never one to back down from a fight, Stokes slips one spot in this years Power 50 ranking due to the C7 court case loss and his failure to gain control of the West Australian Newspapers (WAN) board. Stokes rags to riches tale is known by many, but one that is remarkable nonetheless. After leaving school at 14 and living on the streets of Melbourne at 15, Stokes moved to Western Australia where he made his fortune and launched his media career. Now, the 67-year-old sits at the top of a sprawling group that includes the Seven Network, Australias number one free-to-air TV network in ratings and ad revenue; Pacific Magazines, the countrys second biggest magazine publisher; and Yahoo!7, the online joint venture with Yahoo!. His company also controls wireless broadband provider Unwired, internet phone company Engin, and the engineering company GRD. Stokes has upped his stake in WAN to 22.3% following WANs rejection of his demand for two seats on the companys board. WAN may have thwarted Stokes initially, but its clear the company is in his sights and he wont be giving up without a fight. In July it was revealed Stokes had quietly built a 4.82% stake in rival Consolidated Media Holdings (CMH). His plans for CMH are unknown. He may be looking to have a blocking stake in any potential sale of the company, or he could be making another run at pay TV through CMHs holdings, following the failure of the massive C7 litigation. Stokes owns one-third of Foxtels Sky News, which has experienced strong growth in recent years, and he could be planning a bigger tilt at the lucrative pay TV sector. PLACE OF BIRTH Melbourne Stokes has a sizeable war chest at his disposal CURRENT RESIDENCE Sydney and Perth following the 2006 joint AGE 67 venture deal with private POSITION Seven Media Group chairman equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts that created the CAREER SNAPSHOT Seven Media Group. After setting up TV antennas, selling insurance and Total Advertising & property development, Stokes moved into media by Communications CEO developing the Golden West Network before acquiring Seven Canberra, Seven Adelaide and the Ten licence Barry OBrien describes in Perth. In 1987 he and his partners sold their media Kerry Stokes as a highly assets to Frank Lowy for $400 million, and in 1995 he successful Australian, who picked up a 20% stake in the Seven Network. has reached great heights in every field. OBrien says Stokes has been a smart operator because he has surrounded himself with successful executives such as Bruce McWilliam, Peter Gammell INTERESTING FACT Born John Patrick Althorpe in 1940, Kerry Stokes never knew his father. His mother, a barmaid, gave him up for adoption at three. He struggled at a Christian Brothers school because of dyslexia. He left school at 14, and was homeless at 15.

and David Leckie. When the Seven Network was struggling he realised he needed to employ a TV guru like David Leckie to help turn the network around and he also supported this decision by hiring other top media operators like John Stephens and Peter Meakin, OBrien says. The rest is history in terms of how the network was turned around. I guess you dont get to be this wealthy without good people helping you make the right decisions. Kerry is not only a success in the media but he has also had great success with other business ventures. This year Forbes magazine ranked Stokes as the 785th richest billionaire in the world, putting his net worth at $1.5 billion, which made him Australias 12th richest person. Forbes claims it is in the construction and engineering industry through WesTrac which Stokes owns through his company Australian Capital Equity that is his most valuable asset. WesTrac manages Caterpillar mining machinery and is moving into China, where he could extend his wealth monumentally. But for now this self-made man is focusing on Australia, where he is already incredibly successful. Asked to compare the working approaches of Kerry Stokes and Kerry Packer, Leckie, who has built his career working for both media giants, described them as completely different people. But its very interesting that the last man standing is Kerry Stokes, Leckie says. And hes a fantastic guy to work for.

Colin Murty, Newspix

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On the mobile front, Telstra is positioning itself to take the lead in ad revenues, becoming the first Australian telco to partner with WPPs Mobile Alliance and talking up its When American Sol Trujillo took the reins of Telstra in June recent launch of quick response codes, which allow 2005, he had a five-year plan to transform the ailing telco NextG customers to connect to an advertisers mobile site into a fully converged media communications giant by scanning the codes in print and outdoor ads. combining network infrastructure, content and intelligent What makes Trujillo the third most powerful man in the distribution. Three years on, Trujillos plans are on track. industry is not just the fact he is on the receiving end of so Integral to Telstras transformation has been the many advertising dollars, but, just as importantly, the fact development of 21st century distribution networks. The old that he pays out so much too. copper wire networks Telstra monopolised Telstra was Australias third biggest for so long, are out-dated. PLACE OF BIRTH Wyoming, US spending advertiser in 2007 topped only Telstra has invested heavily in building up CURRENT RESIDENCE Melbourne by Coles Group and the Commonwealth its retail broadband network, growing its Government with an estimated main media market share by five percentage points over AGE 56 spend of between $130 million and $135 the past three years to 48% without giving POSITION Telstra CEO million, according to Nielsen Media in to competitive forces to lower prices. CAREER SNAPSHOT Research, up 6.9% on 2006. Its wireless broadband network, NextG, Trujillo joined telco Mountain Bell in the mid-1970s But Telstra isnt just a big spender. Its ads now covers 99% of the population with after graduating from the University of Wyoming. are market leading. Telstras advertising is speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. Telstra is He became the youngest executive officer in the responsible for classic one-liners that have leveraging these fast networks to deliver history of AT&T at the tender age of 32. Following slipped into the Australian vernacular, such exclusive sport, movie, music and gaming CEO posts at US West and Orange, Trujillo joined as Yellow Pages Not happy Jan and content to customers. BigPond, technically Telstra on 1 July 2005. BigPonds Too many rabbits in China. an ISP is now one of Australias biggest , INTERESTING FACT Telstra is the sort of client that its internet and mobile publishers. Trujillo is backing Republican candidate John McCain incumbents Singleton Ogilvy & Mather, Telstra claims that when the content in the upcoming US presidential elections, donating BWM and George Patterson Y&R would do delivered through BigPond, its Sensis the maximum amount permitted by an individual anything to hold on to. classifieds services, and Foxtel content is ($5200) to McCains campaign fund. Trujillo who took home a $13.39 million combined, it publishes more content than pay package last year, making him one of any other media company in Australia. And Australias highest paid executives commands the sort of with content comes advertising revenue. power few in the industry and broader corporate world can BigPond boss Justin Milne said recently that Telstra match. He sits at the helm of one of Australias largest and had become the industrys one-stop shop for targeted most diverse media companies and also controls one of advertising. Advertisers can use Telstra and only Telstra the most lucrative and creative advertising accounts. to send the right message to the right consumer at exactly Each decision he makes can affect the whole spectrum the right moment. Its a useful insight into the dominant of advertising, marketing and media industries. Nobody can position Trujillo wishes Telstra to occupy in Australias ignore that sort of power. advertising landscape.

3 SOL TRUJILLO

SAME

Stuart Mcevoy, Newspix

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11.

4 HAROLD MITCHELL

UP

A powerful backroom player, Harold Mitchell has remained relevant by reading and responding to market trends. He has grown his company from a media buying operation established in 1976 long before unbundling swept through the industry in the 90s into a publicly listed behemoth spanning 20 separate companies across Australia and New Zealand. Mitchell Communication Group (MCG) first listed on the stock exchange in December 2006 through a merger with Mitchells online media buying business emitch, and now boasts gross billings of $1.15 billion, 4800 shareholders and more than 500 staff. Nielsen Media Research estimates Mitchells media billings at $830 million to $840 million and thats just the media shop, and doesnt include Mitchells other companies such as emitch, MPG, Visual Jazz, NeoDigital. Mitchells is ranked number one in media billings by Nielsen, well ahead of WPPs MediaCom at an estimated $700 million to $710 million. With a 40% stake, Mitchell is the largest shareholder in MCG, ensuring he remains firmly in control of the company and its future. He has set his sights on Asian expansion. MCGs 2007 Annual Report makes this claim: The Mitchell Communication Group has already carved a dominant role in the media and communications landscape in Australasia. But were thinking big. In fact, were thinking biggest, and that means being part of the largest, fastest growing, most dynamic economic powerhouse on earth: Asia... [MCG] will continue to look for smart investment opportunities to take advantage of these booming economies and the boundless opportunities they provide. Extending his footprint into Asia will cement Mitchells power and influence over the industry. Not content with growing his media empire, Mitchell plays in other sandpits. Hes well connected in politics and the arts, having held posts as chairman of the National Gallery of Australia and president of the Melbourne Festival, and he has a spot on the board of directors for Opera Australia. In 2000, he established the Harold Mitchell Foundation with a $10 million injection of his own money, to fund arts and health projects. Hes definitely influential and well connected. Hes better connected than anyone else in the industry, says a competitor. But thats in areas other people havent sought to go into, its not sitting across the table nutting a deal. Then again, the same source acknowledges: If PLACE OF BIRTH Stawell, Victoria Rupert Murdoch is in town, he would call Harold. Im CURRENT RESIDENCE Melbourne not sure hed call any other AGE 66 media buyers. POSITION Mitchell Communication Group Mitchells growing executive chairman empire includes a 50% share of MPG, its joint venture with Havas. Tom Moult, Havass representative in Australia, says Mitchells success comes from the fact he is the hardest working man in advertising. Apart from putting in more hours than other powerbrokers, Mitchell is CAREER SNAPSHOT Starting off as an office boy at Briggs & James, Mitchell went on to become media manager at USP Needham and national media director at DMB&B. He made an early call to leave full-service agencies to start his own media buying outfit in 1976. INTERESTING FACT A collector of clocks and hats, Mitchell was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for his services as a benefactor and fundraiser for the arts in 2004.

bright and shrewd, adds Moult. Theres a commercial aspect to everything he does, whether thats the arts or media commentary and thats maintaining his position as Mr Media. Remaining independent has been an overriding concern in Mitchells career. To his credit, he has avoided a takeover by multinationals, beating them at their own game of size and scale, and opting to boost his wallet through a public listing instead. Mitchells tough negotiation skills helped him retain the $20 million BMW account against stiff competition from younger and trendier rivals, such as Naked, Ikon and Initiative, all of which are now part of holding groups. In January, MPG retained the massive $50 million Optus account after a protracted pitch. Other blue-chip clients of the group include ANZ, Woolworths, George Weston Food and 3 Mobile. Taking his cue from a media landscape that continues to consolidate, with the big getting bigger, Mitchell has led the way in media negotiations. Along with GroupM, his company was one of the first to push cross-platform deals with media owners, recently negotiating a major deal with PBL for Woolworths. Weve developed our company within an Australian framework where size does matter, Mitchell recently told AdNews. And size and scale is clearly what cements Mitchells place on the Power 50.

James Davies, Fairfax Photos

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5 DAVID KIRK

UP

The only All Black captain to lift rugbys World Cup, David Kirk moved to Australia in 2005 and in just three years this larger than life heavyweight has established himself as one of the most powerful media players in the country. Heading up a rapidly growing and influential media group, of course, contributes significantly to Kirks power. The former sporting legend has risen to the top five, up from last years 11th rank, mainly because he has grown his power base significantly in the past year, speaking out on issues ranging from poor broadband infrastructure to press freedom, while simultaneously growing Fairfax Media into an aggressive and dynamic media company that gives News Limited a run for its money. Fairfax Media is almost unrecognisable from when Kirk took up the top role. He has led the company into unchartered waters as it diversified in a bid to stave off the downturn in newspaper revenue and circulation. Fairfax has morphed into a multimedia news and information company. And its working. Last year, total revenues grew 6.0% to $2.0 billion, with earnings before interest and tax up 5.2% to $447.4 million and thats without the Rural Press figures. Fairfax publishes 360 newspapers and magazines in Australia and New Zealand, and 21 publications in the US. It also has 50 websites and more than 14 million unique browsers per month, along with 15 radio stations. Kirk has been public about his ambitions: To build a digital media company that creates, distributes and monetises content across many different media platforms: newspapers, magazines, the internet, mobile phones and wherever else it makes sense for us to be. That mantra has taken the company PLACE OF BIRTH Wellington, New Zealand into unexplored territory, with Fairfax dipping its toes into an increasing number CURRENT RESIDENCE Sydney of online opportunities. AGE 46 Fairfax now even sells online display advertising for ebay.com.au, which POSITION John Fairfax Holdings Limited CEO boosts Fairfax Digitals page impressions CAREER SNAPSHOT by over 900 million a month more than Ex-All Black David Kirk took up the CEO role at double the rest of its volumes. Fairfax Media in 2005, leaving behind New Zealand The company recently acquired a 75% and the position of CEO at magazine and stake in The Weather Company and commercial printing giant PMP Limited. Prior to this he was regional president Australasia for newsprint popular weather site weatherzone.com.au and magazine paper manufacturer Norse Skog. as part of its bid to enhance its online news

methodical and strategic. He tends to want to understand the drivers of the business, how its working against the strategy, why a specific approach is employed and our approach to fix any impediments to reaching the plan, Gallagher says. From where we are in the business, clearly Fairfax has diversified considerably, Gallagher adds. In my business unit, we feel very comfortable with change and were continually seeking opportunities to intelligently grow and diversify our franchise. and service offering. Kirk is also a vocal advocate of press INTERESTING FACT Rather than delegate these dealings freedom and formed an alliance with News When the planned 1986 All Black tour to South to others, Kirk is a hands-on leader. He Limited chief executive John Hartigan and Africa was cancelled, Kirk was one of just two players to refuse to join the rebel Cavaliers team on was instrumental in sealing the $2.7 billion fellow media outlets. moral grounds. His first degree was in medicine. takeover deal of rival publisher Rural But his favourite hobby horse is his Press in 2006 and last years purchase of concerted push for better broadband Southern Cross Broadcastings radio and coverage in regional Australia, saying that TV production assets. Australia can no longer afford to be resource rich but Kirk has put away the chequebook for now after digitally dumb in a deliberate move to bait the federal spending more than $4.5 billion since he joined the government into action. company three years ago saying publicly that hes not Its all in aid of growing Fairfax Media, with Kirk interested in contemplating any further media deals. pushing the company into aggressive growth online, with His attention is now focused on recognising trends in entertainment-related content on the cards. consumer behaviour and plotting a new course for the Kirk has also been entering new markets via online media giant. news sites, with Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth sites now Those who work for Kirk describe him as a strategic up and running, and video and audio content featuring and approachable boss. heavily on all news sites. Fairfax Business Media commercial director Phil And hes handsomely rewarded for his work. Kirk takes Gallagher says he has a down-to-earth approach. home a package that earned him $2.7 million last year, a His engagement with our part of the business is figure befitting a player of his standing.

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People

POWER

In the frenetic environment of advertising and media, power can love you one minute and leave you the next. Paul McIntyre explores how our powerbrokers maintain their positions and use their power to lead their companies forward.

When Nine chief executive David Gyngell fronted media buyers and major advertisers at a programming launch in Willoughby in July, he flagged a central plank in his strategy for the revival of the broadcaster after a shocking two years of ratings and management instability. Nines recovery, said Gyngell, was about getting the mojo back among its people. The demise of Nines rating supremacy and the revolving door of senior management has been well documented and when Gyngell returned in 2007 for his second stint as Nine CEO, there were high hopes within the company and from outside that he would turn the ship around. We have gone a long way to getting the confidence back with the people who work here, which means a hell of a lot to me personally, Gyngell said in his address. We are talking about a business which just had a book written about it which said it was dead. Well, its very much alive and kicking. Gyngell went on to publicly name people and shows that had contributed to the turnaround at Nine, and in the broader context of what facilitates people and companies to retain their market leadership, its a telling point. Talk to most at Nine now and the sense of momentum and their relief that theres someone at the wheel they trust and respect is palpable and motivating. Many talk about being within a whisker of leaving Nine before Gyngell arrived. In fact, people was the factor most industry figures nominated when asked about

how they can maintain power and leadership in a rapidly changing environment. All the changes needed to adapt to new competitive challenges, they say, are about ensuring the people inside are stimulated and rewarded. Mitchell Communications Groups executive chairman Harold Mitchell is one of those entrepreneurial exceptions. It is the sheer force of his personality and drive that has seen him maintain his power base for two decades. A prolific networker and workaholic, Mitchell has not always been at the leading edge of market developments but when he does move, he does so with ferocity. Mitchell says the critical point for him in staying at the top is staying relevant. In a rapidly changing world, the biggest thing is to stay relevant to those changes, he says. You cant think what worked in the past will work forever. Make the changes and go with them. Some people are still hanging on to the steam engine. Mitchell says the biggest challenge he faced was launching online media group emitch in 2000. The other was last years move to roll his media buying and planning and stadium advertising companies into a restructured emitch and then diversifying into other marketing services disciplines. The multinational marketing services groups had started on that journey 10 years earlier, but Mitchell says by 2006 it was apparent that diversification was no longer an option.

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Clients dont want to know about single company offers any more. Were now 22 different companies. Not long ago at all we were one entity. It needed to be done. The next big step is getting people from different backgrounds and experience working together to serve clients. Weve got all these bits and weve got to know which go together. Mitchell acknowledges that once a company has scale it does create some flexibility to not always innovate first, citing Rupert Murdochs long-held reluctance to embrace the internet until very late in the piece as a case in point. But when he did, it was a fast and furious response. Youve got to do it aggressively when you do something, Mitchell says. When we did those cross-platform deals, we decided to do it in a big way. Nowadays, everyone must have one. Mitchell plays down the central role he now has in the overhauled company, pointing to his son Stuart who is taking an increasing role. Telstras new marketing tsar Amanda Johnston, however, has a different take on the leadership issue and how it can cement market dominance. She is just weeks into her role as Telstras executive director of brands & marketing communication, with a massive staff of 500. Johnstons philosophical approach in a large corporate is unsurprisingly different to that of an entrepreneurial-led organisation. Leadership comes down to one single ingredient and thats the calibre and quality of

the people you surround yourself with, she says. The philosophy I have is to hire people that have more experience and are better than me. That, I guess, takes a level of awareness about yourself. Most people dont like having really, really smart people around them because they think they want their job or worry what it might say about them. She says managing quality people is critical in a company like Telstra. Johnston works off an emerging management idea called followship.

Youve got to do it aggressively when you do something.

Harold Mitchell

Companies talk a lot about leadership, but its top down. Followship is having people voluntarily buying into your vision and approach so they actually want to get on the bus with you. If its just about a personality and that personality is larger than life, then what tends to happen is that bus stops when the person leaves. Its about the strategy of the team, so the success of a business isnt with one person. When my appointment was made about moving into a bigger role at Telstra, 12 people at BigPond went into their new jobs within an hour. We had developed a very detailed matrix

for when I moved and what would happen. It wasnt a secret. Everybody knew because clearly I wasnt going to finish my career at BigPond. Johnston also says she manages with the idea of people power versus the entrenched management notion of positional power. True leaders dont need the title or corner office. They tend to get people to do things, and they are at every level of a company. Johnstons views on people management are backed up by GroupM Asia Pacific chairman John Steedman, who says his companys ability to dominate the media buying and planning sector in the region has come primarily from finding efficiencies in the business that are reinvested back into people and training. The innovation, restructuring and future positioning of the business, he says, come out of that investment in people. The number one issue for maintaining market leadership is people, no question, he says. For us, the investment in training people is what keeps GroupM as a leader. Its always been a priority of mine. We have a full-time in-house training program, which not many multinationals do. It comes from the collective. If you take me out of the equation, the business is going to be here in 10 years, Steedman admits. Look at PBL. Has it collapsed since Kerry Packer passed away? Will News Corp collapse after Rupert departs? I doubt it.

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6 ADRIAN
MACKENZIE
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The $4 billion debt that plagues PBL Media has pushed private equity firm CVC Capital Partners Australian chief Adrian MacKenzie two rungs down the Power 50 ladder. However, despite the financial woes weighing down PBL Media, in which CVC holds a 75% stake, theres no denying the companys influence thanks to the continued dominance of its key media assets: Nine Network, ACP Ninemsn, , Sky News and Ticketek. In a bid to improve profitability, MacKenzie has slashed PBL Medias headcount and taken a no-nonsense approach to under-performing assets. The Bulletin became one of the first casualties at ACP while Nine axed , Sunday and Nightline. Under the shareholding of CVC, everything [is assessed] on its economic merit, MacKenzie bluntly explains CVCs priorities. CVC is often accused of paying too much for its stake in PBL Media. Hes also criticised for dishing out exorbitant salaries to CEO Ian Law, who reaps a rumoured $8 million package per year, and Eddie McGuire, who takes home a $5 million package despite being lopped from the CEO role at Nine Network in May 2007. To make matters more challenging for MacKenzie, ABN Amro recently valued PBL Media at zero thanks to a dip in the companys earning forecasts in the wake of a weaker TV advertising market. Still, CVC has promised to stick with PBL Media for at least five years before selling its stake, which means MacKenzie remains one of Australias most influential media moguls.

7 GERRY HARVEY AND KATIE PAGE

Controlling an estimated annual advertising budget of $130 million, billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey and his wife Katie Page are easily the most powerful couple in advertising, marketing and media. Chairman and managing director respectively of Harvey Norman Holdings, Harvey and Page are so powerful they have no need to engage with a large section of the advertising community. Instead, they choose to conduct all creative and media buying in-house. In March 2003, Harvey Norman Holdings established media agency Generic, with the sole purpose of servicing the retail giants sizable media account the fourth largest in the country, according to Nielsen Media Research estimates. Adding insult to injury, Harvey Normans age-old Go Harvey, Go Harvey, Go Harvey Norman TVCs fly in the face of all that creative agencies stand for. Worst of all for the industry that likes to position itself as the cradle of successful brands, Harvey Normans crude in-house ads seem to work. Despite predictions of tough times ahead for the retailer, sales last financial year grew 8.7% to hit $5.81 billion. Today, Harvey Norman Holdings which includes close to 200 Harvey Norman, Rebel Sports, Domayne and Joyce Mayne retail outlets boasts a market capitalisation just

UP
shy of $3.5 billion. Harveys personal stake in the business is estimated at about 30%. While Harvey receives the bulk of the media attention, his media-shy wife is happy to work her magic behind the scenes. Page is the driving force behind the Domayne business and Harvey Normans aggressive expansion into New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia and Slovenia. She is a powerbroker in her own right, and is rumoured to negotiate the best TV ad rates in town. Harvey, now 69, says hell stick it out as chairman until at least 2020, when Page will be invited to step in as his successor.

8 RONALD WALKER
This one-eyed Melbourne businessman fell one place but remains a firm fixture in the top 10 because he leads an evolving and prosperous media company. Ron Walker, a Fairfax board member since 2003, became deputy chairman in 2004 and had the top job by 2005, working closely with CEO David Kirk to transform the media company. Hes Fairfaxs man on the ground in Melbourne and pushed for editorial control of The Age to return to Melbourne after it was managed from Sydney for some years. This switch has done wonders for the advertising revenue and circulation of the paper. Walker is one of the best-connected businessmen in Melbourne. He was behind the property development company that constructed the Crown Casino complex and was the Lord Mayor of the city from 1974 to 1976. Walker has a strong passion for sporting pursuits that benefit Melbourne. As the Australian Grand Prix chairman, he recently flew to London for crucial talks to secure Melbournes Formula One race beyond 2010. There has been speculation about Walkers future, as he turns 70 this year. For the time being though, Fairfax pays him a package worth $357,520, which, given his powerful business connections in Melbourne, is money well spent.

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Lindsay Moller, Newspix

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9 RICHARD
GOYDER
SAME
Since finalising the $22 billion takeover of Coles Group in July last year, the man atop Wesfarmers has been flattening the retailers management structure in line with the rest of the successful mining, insurance and energy group. Known for his pragmatism and level head, Richard Goyder is not afraid to front up to the media. The former farm boy from WA recently defended accusations that the Coles turnaround is taking too long and laid the blame for its woes squarely at the feet of former boss John Fletcher. His vision for the revitalised group includes better profits generated by better in-store experience, range and price, underpinned by supplychain cost savings and overhead reductions. Store-level staff have already been fully briefed on the vision and store layout has improved. The market entry of supermarket chain Costco, plus possibly Wal-Mart and Tesco, will test his budding retail abilities. He also faces stiff competition from rival Woolworths, which continues to power ahead. Wesfarmers has announced a $5 billion capital investment over the next five years to be spent across all Coles Group brands. Goyders position in the Power 50s top 10 is well deserved. He controls the second richest ad budget in Australia about $175 million last year and is in a position to shape the future of more than 3000 Coles, Target, Officeworks, Bi-Lo, Kmart, Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, Coles Express, Harris Technology and Bunnings outlets.

10 AMANDA JOHNSTON
This month, Amanda Johnston stepped up to manage the entire marketing operations of Telstra Australias third biggest advertiser from her previous role as head of sales & marketing at BigPond, which explains her debut at number 10 in this years Power 50. The promotion, to replace outgoing marketing chief Bill Obermeier, is testament to Johnstons success at BigPond, where she became head of marketing in 2005. In three years, Johnstons milestones were outstanding. From September 2006 to September 2007, BigPond exceeded every one of its key performance targets including revenue, market share and churn rate, all with a marketing staff of about only 30. According to Johnston, BigPond has doubled the industry standard when it comes to advertising effectiveness, with the highest average revenue per user in Australia. BigPond surpassed its 2006/07 revenue targets and is now a $1.6 billion company, while brand awareness peaked in the wake of two highly successful campaigns: Rabbits and On Demand. Last year, Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo singled out BigPond as setting the blueprint for the rest of the Telstra organisation as it evolves into a media communications company with an emotional lure a major transition for a company traditionally seen as cumbersome, technologyfocused yet not particularly innovative. Johnston is known for combining a passion for creativity with an emphasis on effectiveness: We move B and C players out of the business very quickly, and we have a non-precious puss policy, which means we sift out people who are egotistical in the interview process, she says. Rob Belgiovane, executive creative director at BigPond-rostered agency BWM, credits Johnstons relationship with agency stakeholders as being key to her success as a marketer. She has a consultative approach

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as opposed to a dictatorial one. It means a lot of the decision-making is done with the involvement of all the stakeholders, which makes working on such an account infinitely more enjoyable. At Telstra Johnston will oversee a marketing budget of about $130 million, and she wasted no time exercising that power, reshuffling the telcos agency roster soon after her ascension. BWM has snared a larger slice of the business advertising account, and Singleton Ogilvy & Mather picked up project work at the expense of George Patterson Y&R, which retains the relationship marketing slice of the account.

11 MICHAEL LUSCOMBE
As he nears two years as captain of the Woolworths ship, Michael Luscombe is going from strength to strength. The CEO climbs two spots in the Power 50 because of continued sales growth in the supermarket, liquor, electronics and petrol divisions, as well as its planned foray into credit cards. His power over a $110 million-plus advertising budget up $24.4% on 2006 according to Nielsen Media Research is also considerable. The groups full-year sales to June were up 10.7% to $47 billion led by food & liquor up 9.9% to $30.5 billion and consumer electronics up 11.1% to $1.4 billion. In the period, it launched a new card-based Everyday Rewards scheme that helped Caltex Woolworths realise a 1.8% increase

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in petrol volume sales last quarter. It also ventured into India via 22 Croma electronics retail stores in partnership with the Tata Group. This helped grow total electronic sales by 16.9%. Thirty years after he started as a trainee, there isnt a department or division Luscombe doesnt know inside out. He is said to visit his own and competitors stores regularly. A previous stint as Woolworths national banking manager overseeing Ezy Banking will serve him well when launching the branded credit card with HSBC later this year. But the 55-year-old will also have challenges ahead. Giant retailer Costco is set to debut in Australia in 2009 and Tesco and Wal-Mart are likely to follow, while Coles is experiencing a renaissance under new Wesfarmer management. Add the expansion of Woolies new local greengrocer concept, Thomas Dux, and Luscombe is sure to be very busy indeed this year.

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12 DAVID BUTTNER

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Toyota sales & marketing chief David Buttner has rocketed eight places on this years ranking, boosted by a number of industry records illustrating his ability to take a strong product and turn it into a market-leading brand. In the blockbuster month of June 2008, Toyota became the first car company in Australia to sell more than 25,000 vehicles in one month. It announced it had sold more than 247,500 vehicles in the 2007/08 year, another all-time record. Toyota also confirmed it will become the first local car manufacturer to produce hybrid vehicles in Australia. And it triumphed in a Readers Digest poll naming Toyota the countrys most trusted car brand. With these achievements under his belt and an advertising budget of up to $70 million at his disposal, Buttner is

undoubtedly one of the most powerful marketing directors in the country. Buttner has said he wants Toyota to occupy the intersection point between iconic and inspirational, and has backed this with a strong program of brandbolstering marketing initiatives with the support of divisional manager of national marketing Peter Webster. Toyota launched its latest sponsorship venture The Toyota Cup, the National Rugby Leagues under-20s competition in March, and already sponsors the AFL and Formula One Grand Prix. Toyota divisional manager of customer service & distribution Matt Callachor says theres more to come. Hes at the top of his game, but that doesnt mean he wont push it to another level, Callachor says of Buttner, adding he is very conscious of [the danger of] complacency.

13 DAVID GYNGELL
Returning to the Nine Network after a muchpublicised walkout in May 2005, David Gyngell knew the CEO gig would be a tough one. Its my job to help return Nine to its historical profitable position of preeminence in Australian TV, he said upon his return in November 2007. Fast forward nine months and Gyngells guns are blazing. The freedom he was given to reshape Nine inched him ahead of Sevens David Leckie in this years list. Total CEO Barry OBrien says: You cant run a race with your feet tied together. Ian Law took the shackles off and said go get em, and thats what [Gyngell] has done. Gyngell has taken some risks on content investment, and the spectacular successes Underbelly; Gordon Ramsay plus an uplift in established programs like The Footy Show and Today, have largely outshone the flops. Nine is neck-and-neck with Seven in the ratings. Hes had the balls to axe Sunday and Nightline and tackle increasing demands

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14 DAVID LECKIE

DOWN

for cost-cutting from various corners. As a clear indicator of his power, media buyers are behaving like lovesick schoolboys, full of praise for the man making TV exciting again. Totals OBrien scores his performance so far a 12 out of 10. While it is by no means out of the woods, Nine is on track to be a serious contender for the number one position in 2009. Despite James Packers steady withdrawal from the media game, Gyngells close relationship with the wealthy heir doesnt hurt his image as a man of powerful connections.

He has been targeted by The Chaser, seen his arch rival the Nine Network re-emerge, and hes even survived a coma. You really cant keep David Leckie down. The 57-year-old Seven Media Group chief executive is one tough customer, not surprising considering his long and successful time working for Kerry Packer. Kicking off his career in the late 1970s as a sales executive with Nine, the Macquarie University economics graduate spent 23 years at the Packer-owned broadcaster, eventually working his way to the top job. Leckie spent 11 years as CEO of Nine before he was unceremoniously dumped by Packer in January 2002. But the confrontational executive resurfaced at rival Seven 18 months later, and began the long and arduous process of turning it into Australias number one TV network. Leckies role in Sevens turnaround has been well documented, but so far 2008 has been a test. Seven has been under attack from a resurgent Nine led by David Gyngell, a good friend of Leckies, with the ratings battle neck-and-neck. Leckie has also relinquished his post as chairman of Free TV Australia. But Seven is still top in advertising revenue, according to figures from January to June this year, with the Kerry Stokes-owned network grabbing a 39.13% share of the $1.75 billion spent on FTA TV advertising, ahead of Nines 31.87% share. Leckie suffered a six-week stay in hospital earlier this year, after he was placed in an induced coma because of complications from an almost severed finger. But rumours of Leckies demise were exaggerated and in June he was back in command at Seven, making bold statements and publicly attacking former colleagues like Vance Lothringer. Despite jockeying from the likes of Sevens up-andcoming stars James Warburton and Peter Lewis, Leckie recently had his contract at Seven extended for a further two years, keeping him at the media giant until mid-2011. Leckies rivals have been put on notice that the abrasive character is here to stay.

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15 ROBERT MORGAN

UP

Sitting atop a trans-Tasman marketing communications behemoth like the Clemenger Group is no easy task. But the pressure has not stopped executive chairman Robert Morgan, who has spent a decade in the top job. He is head of a 43-company strong group, in charge of more than 1600 staff. He is also a director of Opera Australia and AFL club the Sydney Swans. Morgan started at the company in 1979, after stints at General Motors and ACNielsen. He worked his way up the Clemenger tree, becoming a director in 1984 before his appointment as MD of the Melbourne office in 1989. Since his promotion to executive chairman in 1998, Morgan has expanded the Clemenger Group with a mixture of canny acquisitions, business growth and client wins. In the past few years he has reshaped Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, and acquired businesses like Cosway, Morph Marketing and NetX. Most recently Morgan sent Clemenger BBDO Sydney MD Jim Moser across the Tasman to become Clemenger Group New Zealand CEO. But the truth lies in the numbers. In the 2007/08 financial year, total revenue for the Clemenger Group grew to about $280 million, while profit after tax was up to $26 million from last years $22.5 million. EBIDTA was up 20% to $56 million, and billings for the largest trans-Tasman advertising and marketing group hit $1.7 billion. The Clemenger Group is 54% owned by its management and staff, and the rest by BBDO Worldwide. Morgan, as the largest shareholder on the management/ staff side and a director of BBDO Worldwide, wields significant power.

16 JOHN B FAIRFAX

UP

17 ANDREW GORDON

UP

John B Fairfax has risen one spot in the Power 50 as the power of the company that bears his name, Fairfax Media, increases. While his relatives have retired from the spotlight, this newspaper man and respected businessman has elbowed his way to the front of the pack with grace and good manners intact. His powerful connections have increased since John B, as hes known, struck a deal to merge his regional newspaper group Rural Press with Fairfax Media last year, creating a $9 billion empire with a massive geographical footprint across the country. John B became a substantial shareholder in Fairfax for the first time in 20 years upon completion of the deal. He emerged from the boardroom with a 14% share in Fairfax Media, making him an increasingly powerful player in the media scene. In his Rural Press days, callers would be put directly through to John B, but hes now firmly entrenched in the higher echelons of Sydney boardrooms making deals that could change the face of the local media scene. He has a reputation for being a shrewd businessman who ran an incredibly tight ship at Rural Press. While he may be somewhat of an old-fashioned media proprietor, hes embracing the new direction the company is taking and is a vocal supporter of increasing investment in the online arena.

The son of media mogul Bruce Gordon, Andrew Gordon sits at the head of a sprawling media empire. As executive chairman of WIN Corporation, Gordon controls Australias largest regional TV broadcaster, with 24 TV stations in six states, two NSW radio stations and the pay TV provider SelectTV. The younger Gordon is also in charge of Digital Distribution Australia and Crawford Productions, while WIN owns stakes in the Seven Network, Consolidated Media Holdings, Ten Network Holdings, West Australian Newspapers and Prime Media Group. Andrew Gordon is clearly a very powerful individual, and hes not even 40. The past 12 months have seen the executive chairman make significant changes to WIN, as he makes his own mark on the company founded by his father. In February he hired David Butorac, a former pay TV heavy with News Corp, as managing director, forcing a changing of the guard, with CEO George Papadopoulos unexpectedly resigning five weeks after Butoracs arrival. Papadopoulos had been with WIN for 10 years and had been CEO since July 2004. Further change came with the hiring of Chris Williamson, a former CEO of Digital Broadcasting Australia, as head of digital. Former News Limited marketer Tracy Richardson came in as chief marketing officer, Ryan Gracie became GM of WINs radio assets and former Network Ten sales executive John Hatcher was appointed WIN executive vice president. After three years in the top job, its clear Andrew Gordon has well and truly found his feet and started to move out of his fathers illustrious shadow.

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18 GAVIN OREILLY
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A new entrant in the Power 50, the Irish-born Gavin OReilly is poised to make his mark on this part of the world thanks to his appointment as non-executive chairman of APN News & Media in May 2008. OReilly comes from good Irish media family stock his father is Anthony OReilly, Irish media mogul and chief executive of the UK media group Independent News & Media (IN&M), which holds a 29% share in APN. But OReilly junior neednt rely on his father for the power he wields: besides his leadership role at APN, Gavin is IN&Ms group chief operating officer and he is president of the World Association of Newspapers. As non-executive chairman of APN, Gavin OReilly oversees a massive spread of assets across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. APN publishes 23 regional daily newspapers and more than 100 non-daily and community titles. APNs websites include nzherald.co.nz and finda business directories, and it owns the Australian Radio Network and The Radio Network in New Zealand, with a combined six million listeners. It also owns APN Outdoor, a market leader in both Australia and New Zealand, with a growing presence in Asia. OReilly told the media that his appointment as chairman was indicative of IN&Ms long-term commitment to APN, suggesting he is here for the long haul. And hell have a family member supporting him: brother Cameron was reelected to the APN board in May.

19 JAMES PARKINSON

UP

GroupM trading director James Parkinson is up two places in 2008s Power 50 thanks to a broadened strategic approach to his trading deals, key GroupM board appointments, and his ability to evolve ahead of the pack in a playing field with constantly shifting goalposts. Parkinson joined GroupM veteran John Steedman on the APAC Operating Committee in 2007 and became the only Australian to join the GroupM Global Trading Committee, signalling his increased importance and visibility on the international stage. GroupM had a stellar year in 2007 with Australian billings of more than $1.7 billion, and 2008 is shaping up to continue the trend. Parkinson will lead Australian negotiations on behalf of Enfatico, the agency WPP set up this year to service the $4.5 billion worldwide Dell account. One colleague notes Parkinsons intuitive nature to call the market in advance as an attribute that has been key to his continued rise and influence in the broader industry. Coupled together, Parkinsons intimate understanding of the market and his control over a large chunk of advertisers spend, add to his power. His constant challenging of the accepted way of doing business boosts his influence. Parkinson attracted attention in 2007 for his unique method of negotiating network TV rates at the beginning of the financial year, but this year the focus is more on his increasingly strategic negotiating style. In an industry where the numbers are thrown around a little too loosely sometimes, James treads a very tight, considered path, says Anne Parsons, chief executive of GroupMs MediaCom. Parkinson is now launching GroupM Knowledge: a new division that will introduce proprietary systems to all GroupM agencies, allowing them to consolidate and analyse data and trends from the $1.7 billion of transactions performed by the group another strategically sound move that will place him ahead of the pack.

Adrian Cook

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20 IAN ALWILL
Ian Alwill is about to step down as AANA chairman, which sees him slip from 14 to 20 in the Power 50 list this year, but the Nestl marketing manager still yields considerable influence. Beginning his tenure at Nestl more than 10 years ago as director of marketing & communications, Alwill became AANA chairman three years later and has since led the boards response to calls for greater government regulation of advertising and marketing communication. Alwill spearheaded the development and implementation of the AANAs Food & Beverages Advertising & Marketing Communications Code, while more recently, the AANA revised its Code for Advertising & Marketing Communications to Children. He has earned respect across all divisions of the advertising, marketing and media industry and when he speaks at the CEASA Forum later this year, for

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instance the industry listens, AANA executive director Collin Segelov says. The media industry has cause to listen intently to Alwill, who oversaw Nestls estimated $33.9 million main media ad spend in the 12 months to May 2008, slightly down on the previous corresponding periods $42.9 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. Ian is widely recognised as a big thinker, as well as a big spender as far as marketing budgets are concerned, Segelov says. Not just a big spender on traditional media, Alwill has in recent years diverted Nestls ad budget into newer media channels, which has become a bone of contention among service providers. However, Alwill is the chairman of the Advertising Standards Bureau and plans to remain on the AANA board to drive industry self-regulation, so his influence is set to continue in the coming years.

21 IAN LAW
Ian Law was one of the Power 50s fastest risers last year as he stepped up to the chief executive post at PBL Media. However, his reign in the top 10 was short-lived. As the once mighty media giant struggles with significant debt, its CEOs power base cannot avoid being affected. Nevertheless, while PBL stares down its $4.2 billion debt, this ex-journalist still controls the purse strings of two of the countrys most iconic and potent media assets, the Nine Network and ACP Magazines, ensuring he remains a powerful figure in the local media scene. PBL Media, 75% owned by foreign private equity firm CVC Asia Pacific, is one of the countrys most diversified media and entertainment groups, with other assets including Ticketek, Acer Arena, a majority stake in carsales.com.au and NBN Television, and a 50% interest in Ninemsn. It also has interests in Sky News operator Australian News Channel Law cut his teeth as John B Fairfaxs loyal right hand man at Rural Press, and knows only too well how to turn a financially troubled company around. Theres every indication hell be able to pull PBL Media out of its current slump. Hes well into his plan to reinvigorate Nine, which he says will take another two years as newly installed chief executive David Gyngell works to grow the broadcasters share of audience. Under the watchful eye of the economically prudent CVC, Law has applied his cost-cutting skills honed at Rural Press with the recent axing of two of Nines blue-chip news and current affairs programs, Sunday and Nightline. The measure, he says, was prudent given the current uncertain economic climate. The next 12 months will determine whether Law regains his previous ranking or slips further down, and perhaps off, the list.

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22 KARIM TEMSAMANI
When an influential man lands a powerful role in advertising, the result, inevitably, is a slot on the AdNews Power 50 list. Googles GM for Australia & New Zealand, Karim Temsamani, is such a man. Having joined Google in mid-November in its top local role, Temsamani sits atop Australias most formidable online business. Frost & Sullivan estimates the search giants Australian division generated $389 million in revenue in 2007 a 27% share of the total online advertising market. That share will only increase given Google controls an estimated 80% of all search revenues the fastest growing category of online spend. Its rivals, Ninemsn and Yahoo!7, have failed to make a dent in Googles dominant market share in recent years, hardly surprising given Google is synonymous with search for most Australians. In fact, Greys 2008 Eye on Australia report found Google to be Australias

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most trusted brand. But it wasnt just his job title that earned Temsamani a place on this years list. Those in the search industry speak of Temsamani as an influential man with a strong network of contacts among media agencies and big spending clients, developed during his many years in publishing. Before joining Google, Temsamani was an outspoken commercial & group magazine director at Fairfax Media. His mainstream background, say insiders, lends Google, credibility when asking big-spending advertisers to consider search. Temsamani replaces Richard Kimber, former MD sales & operations South East Asia at Google, who moved on to a role at Friendster earlier this month. Temsamani debuts on the Power 50 list four slots higher than Kimber due to his on-the-ground presence and established networks within the industry. Googles constant growth, of course, was a factor.

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23 JUSTIN
REIZES
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The intensely private Justin Reizes dropped one spot in this years Power 50, but he continues to build his power at the newly restructured Seven Media Group. In the past 12 months he added managing director Sydney to his title of partner in the American private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and, as tipped here, moved back to Oz from Tokyo. This allowed him to be closer to KKRs 50% interest in the Seven Media Group. The onetime Home and Away extra turned investment banker sits on the Seven board as one of four KKR representatives and is widely regarded as the deal-cruncher. Since his board appointment and the relaxation of cross-media ownership laws, Seven has been on the expansion trail, first seeking a two-seat representation on the West Australian Newspapers board, then increasing its shareholding of the rag to 22.3% to gain some control. It has also taken nearly 5% in Consolidated Media Holdings, which owns 25% of PBL Media and 25% of Foxtel. Reizes has focused on media mergers and acquisitions for KKR since 1999 when he worked in London. The firm also holds substantial stakes in The Nielsen Media Company, Frances Yellow Pages, niche New York publisher Primedia and a German satellite broadcaster. Reizes experience and the firms planned listing on the New York Stock Exchange later this year, point to him making an even greater contribution as advisor to a cashed-up Kerry Stokes.

24 MARK BUCKMAN

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Commonwealth Bank marketing chief Mark Buckman debuted in the Power 50 last year after he shook up the advertising industry by shifting the banks advertising account from STWs The Village to San Francisco-based hotshop Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Buckman has since further divided opinions on the Determined to be Different brand campaign, which still has people debating its success months after its launch. Nonetheless he has risen four spots to 24 on this years list. The former McCann Erickson boss has stuck to his guns on the move, recently saying: Client marketers are charged with making decisions that are right for their business and should not be constrained by national borders or time zones in the pursuit of finding the best talent to deliver the best creative solutions for their brands. Buckman is in charge of the biggest bank advertising spend in Australia, with Nielsen figures showing an estimated $26.3 million spent on main media advertising in the 12 months to May. But he is also highly visible and vocal in his role as deputy chair of the Australian Association of National Advertisers. This visibility looks set to increase, with Buckman tipped, next to News Limiteds Joe Talcott, to take over as AANA chairman once Ian Alwill stands down. Both are well known within the industry, and can be expected to become as well known beyond it through their representation of advertising and marketing industry interests beyond their respective media and banking sectors, AANA executive director Collin Segelov says. Whoever follows in Ian Alwills footsteps will need to stand up for freedom of commercial speech across the advertising, marketing and media industry, not just the rights and responsibilities of their industry sectors.

25 BELINDA ROWE
As the CEO of media buying agency ZenithOptimedia in Australia and New Zealand, Belinda Rowe is among the most powerful media buyers in the country. Shes fallen one spot in this years ranking, but under her guidance, ZenithOptimedia clocked up a string of wins in 2007 and shes already added $45 million in billings to the bottom line this year, signing on Jenny Craig, NAB Digital, Korean Tourism, Conservatorium of Music, James Boag and Godfreys. Since adding the Zenith brand to Optimedia two years ago, the agency has forged close links with its regional Publicis partners to work together on clients throughout Asia Pacific. Rowe, as a director of Publicis Mojo, also has influence in the lucrative advertising sphere. She has been with ZenithOptimedia for a decade and with the Publicis Group for 20 years. After six years as the media representative on the Advertising Federation of Australia board, she accepted the national AFA chair last year, and has worked closely with the Australian Association of National Advertisers on issues such as self-regulation and obesity. Rowe is a confident public speaker and commentator. She is currently lobbying the federal government to retain selfregulation and shes overseeing the management and marketing of AFA accreditation for ad agencies. Rowe is on the advisory board for the Faculty of Economics and Business in the Discipline of Marketing for the University of Sydney and is an observer on the OzTam board.

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26 SALLY HERMAN

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27 TIM HUGHES
A self-proclaimed boy from the bush, Tim Hughes has been playing in the big end of town since the early years of his career. The Photon Group executive chairman dropped to number 49 on last years Power 50 list due to his exit from Macquarie Media Group, but he has climbed his way up again thanks to efficient use of his freed-up time. Hughes used the extra hours to negotiate Photons acquisition of one of Australias hottest agencies, BMF, and the global shit-stirrer Naked Communications two companies any holding group would bend over backwards to bring into its fold. What attracted these two successful agencies to the Photon family was Hughess stated intention to remain hands-off, allowing each Photon company complete autonomy presumably while they keep churning out good numbers. Launched by Hughes and Siimon Reynolds in 2000 with $20 million, Photon now comprises 52 marketing and communications companies in Australia and the UK. Its biggest spate of acquisitions was last year with 21

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companies joining the fold. This years shopping spree of just three City PR and Ross Barr & Associates in addition to Naked seems conservative by comparison. Hughes is currently working on up to three acquisitions in the internet marketing space, with ambitions to boost earnings from Photons internet division by 30% over the next 12 months. While financial results for the 2007/08 period have not been released yet, Photon posted impressive growth in the previous financial year of 56% in net revenue to $195 million and a 60% rise in EBITDA to $45.1 million. Nevertheless, Photon shares have taken a battering in line with other media stocks, dropping from $6.10 this time last year to $2.74 at the time of press. This, however, is still higher than the $1.80 on listing, and doesnt detract from Hughess influence over the future of a considerable number of companies and potential acquisitions. Those who know him will attest, hes not a man who knows how to slow down.

When news of a pending merger between Westpac and St George first emerged in May 2008, speculation was rife as to which agencies would benefit from the deal. Westpac spent an estimated $15.3 million on main media advertising in the 12 months to 31 March 2008, while St George invested an estimated $17.9 million over the same period. So who gains control over the combined marketing budget, should the merger go ahead as anticipated in November this year? As general manager of sustainability, brand & communications at Westpac, Sally Herman is the woman that will determine the future of Westpacs existing relationship with WPP shop Red House, and possibly also St Georges relationship with Whybin TBWA and OMD. While both banks could elect to retain their agency relationships post-merger, a consolidation of accounts is a strong possibility. Pundits are putting their money on Whybin TBWA winning out thanks to its existing relationship with Westpac CEO Gail Kelly when she was head of St George a role she gave up only late last year to assume the head honcho role at Westpac. The woman who conceived the original Red House deal with WPPs Y&R Brands division in June 2007, Susan Nixon, exited Westpacs marketing department to make room for Herman in February this year. Herman joined Westpac in 1994 and moved into the top marketing spot this year from her role as general manager of advice at Westpac and BT Financial Groups financial planning divisions. Its a major role, given the merger between Westpac and St George will create Australias largest bank, worth about $60 billion. Herman is now responsible for bringing brand, communications, government, media and corporate sustainability together for Westpac, leading to her debut in the AdNews Power 50.

28 GRAEME WILLS

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Publicis Mojo chairman Graeme Wills owes his jump from 32nd to 28th in this years Power 50 to the agencys global Diet Coke work, Myne its mobile marketing venture with Telstra and, across the ditch, the NZ agencys industry-applauded work on beer brand Speights. Paris-based Publicis Groupe recruited Wills in 1996 to the role of chairman of Publicis Mojo Australia and New Zealand, giving him and his management team a 40% stake in the network despite its policy of 100% ownership a sign of the value they place in Wills. In 2005 Wills was appointed to the Publicis Advertising Network Worldwide Board, giving him an even bigger influence over shaping the Australian business of the Publicis network. Publicis Mojo Australia has continued to invest in its consumer insights research programs this year, and has just revamped its creative department with the addition of BBH London heavyweights Steve Wakelam and Ian Williamson. The Australian operations assignment to create the global advertising positioning for Diet Coke will almost certainly give the local agency offices extensive worldwide exposure, should individual markets decide to run the work. Advertising Federation of Australia chairman Gawen Rudder says that Mojos growing list of initiatives have thrust Wills back into the spotlight of Australias advertising industry. The only reason hes been out of the spotlight is that he shuns it, preferring to develop innovative strategies like the Telstra deal under the radar, Rudder suggests. Hes that sort of guy a quiet achiever perhaps.

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29 KIM

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30 JAMES PACKER
James Packer falls a hefty 24 places in this years Power 50 thanks to his seemingly determined moves to take himself off it. Two years ago Packer headed a dynasty that dominated Australian media. Today, after selling 75% of PBL Media to private equity firm CVC Asia Pacific and splitting PBL into Consolidated Media Holdings (CMH) and casino group Crown, his media hand has shrunk. At last count, Packers Consolidated Press held a 38% stake in CMH, which in turn holds stakes in Foxtel, Premier Media Group, Seek and PBL Media the latter including Nine and ACP. Put it all together and Packer junior is a man who has influence across the gamut of Australian media but unlike the old days when his old man ruled the media land 100% control of none of it. Some see this as smart. While Packers move into

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gaming has not been totally smooth sailing, neither have the post-Packer fortunes of PBL. CVC paid $1.5 billion for its 75% of PBL, but in June, ABN Amro valued PBL Media at zero, due largely to its $4.2 billion debt. Packer did try to manoeuvre back into media when he and Lachlan Murdoch sought to buy up all of CMH earlier this year. But with that falling by the wayside and with speculation Packer may further divest in media to focus on gaming, Packers media commitment remains part-time, and perhaps even temporary. Let no one forget that his fathers arch rival, Kerry Stokes, is lurking round the corner: Stokes has just bought 4.8% of CMH shares. It is, however, useful to remember that Packers personal wealth still amounts to a reported $6.1 billion, making him Australias third richest man. And that kind of money is, as always, power.

WILLIAMS

Foxtel now has more than 1.5 million subscribers, reaches more than 5.5 million viewers, and keeps growing. Foxtel is a big player in the Australian media landscape and is more powerful than ever. At its helm since 2001 has been the irrepressible Kim Williams. He has overseen massive change at Foxtel, which continues to pride itself on innovation. The past year has seen the launch of several new channels, and the debut of its HD+ (high-definition) service and its digital video recorder, the iQ2. It has captured broadcast rights to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the 2012 London Summer Olympics and the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. In the six months to December 2007, Foxtels EBITDA rose by 62% to $165 million, while its profit jumped $51 million in the same period to hit $73 million. The figures are remarkable considering Foxtel only posted its first full year of profit in 2006. Williams power base extends beyond pay TV he has been chairman of the Sydney Opera House since 2006, and has been CEO at Fox Studios, the Australian Film Commission and Southern Star Entertainment, and a senior executive at the ABC. In 1988, Williams founded the Australian Film Finance Corporation as chairman, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006.

31 JOHN SINTRAS

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John Sintras drops six places this year but remains a media stalwart with a leadership stance on many issues crucial to the growth of the industry. The Starcom MediaVest chief executive is renowned for his commitment to the media industry and demonstrates this through his presence on the boards of the Australian Association of National Advertisers, the Advertising Standards Bureau and OzTam; his committee membership of the Audit Bureau of Circulation and Media Federation of Australia of which he is an ex-president; and his place on the editorial advisory panel for the ABC Australia Network. Most recently, Sintras became a member of Commercial Radio Australia Digital Radio Advisory Group. His regular guest speaking appearances further prove Sintras remains at the forefront of industry issues, such as the need for media agencies to fully incorporate digital and the critical skills shortage. Sintras sits on Starcoms global product committee, which reviews the agencys global product, processes and people. The Australian network under his command bills about $750 million a year. This year, he oversaw the launch of SMG Search, an in-house search marketing business, further beefing up Starcoms commitment to digital development. Starcom had a stellar 12 months in terms of new business wins, claiming accounts for Samsung, Avon and Emirates Airlines and retaining the South Australian government and Whirlpool media contracts. Only the fact that several of these wins were global alignments prevents Sintras from earning a higher ranking in 2008.

Helen Coetzee

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32 MICHAEL
ANDERSON
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Michael Anderson has risen two spots this year, owing to the Austereo CEOs progressive bundling of radio and online advertising packages for its clients. Anderson began at Austereo in 1989, and worked his way up through various sales positions until landing the CEO role in 2003, with his contract recently renewed to June 2010. In his role as chairman of radio industry body Commercial Radio Australia and as an Austereo board member, he will be a strong voice in drumming up excitement about digital radios launch in early 2009. Michael Anderson has long been a voice for the future of radio, says Commercial Radio Australia chief executive Joan Warner. As chair of Commercial Radio Australia he has been very influential, together with other senior board members, in ensuring the industry realises and promotes the very real benefits to advertisers of the radio and online partnership, as well as driving the move to digital radio as the next logical step for the medium in an increasingly competitive market, Warner says. Austereo faces a challenge in using the additional radio spectrum to its best advantage next year. However, Anderson is said to be trialing a youth-oriented digital music station already. While Triple M has wavered in the radio ratings this year, 2Day FM continues to dominate the massive Sydney market, placing Anderson in a powerful position to take advantage of the new digital landscape.

33 GRANT BLACKLEY

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When Network Ten executive chairman Nick Falloon moved into a part-time role, he opened up a position in the Power 50 for the networks CEO Grant Blackley. This is Blackleys first appearance in the Power 50, after knocking on the door for several years. As the head of one of Australias three free-to-air commercial television networks, Blackley has a strong power base. He has skippered Ten since taking over from John McAlpine in July 2005 and his authority and autonomy should increase with Falloon halving his time at Ten. Blackley started his career as a media planner and buyer with George Patterson Bates in 1985. He moved to Ten in a Sydney-based sales role in 1987, and in 1994 he was promoted to general sales manager Victoria. Two years later he became Tens national sales manager before taking the networks top sales role in 1997. Before taking up the reins as Ten CEO in 2005, Blackley was also a contender for the top job at Nine, vacated by David Gyngell. A graduate in 2004 of the London Business School executive program, Blackley has previously been a director of OzTam and Tens outdoor company Eye. He is also a former chairman of Free TV Australia. At the time of Blackleys promotion to CEO, Falloon paid him the ultimate compliment: With 18 years at the network, no one understands Ten better than Grant. In every successive hurdle, Grant has proved himself.

34 MARTIN OHALLORAN
Hes only been on Australian soil for two and a half years, but Martin OHalloran has led the transformation of the Omnicomowned DDB group with minimal bloodshed through confident leadership. As a result, the chairman & CEO of DDB Australia and New Zealand has risen five spots in this years Power 50. With his right hand man, DDB vice chairman & national creative Matt Eastwood, OHalloran has overseen a boost in the agencys creative capabilities, thanks mainly to his appointment of a new leadership team, and he has delivered significant profit growth, way ahead of market averages across the business. Under OHalloran, DDB has sealed a string of deals that has improved its bottom line in a tough economic climate, snaring accounts for Tourism Australia, George Weston Foods (Tip Top Bakeries), Telstra and Sensis. DDB managed to wrestle back the lions share of the prestigious McDonalds account that it had lost to rival agency Leo Burnett. The McDonalds account is lucrative and iconic, and the resulting work has been creative. Taking an agency that was performing reasonably well and turning it into one of the strongest creative agencies in the country inside three years has consolidated this agency heads power and influence. With a DDB career spanning more than

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two decades, 17 of them in New Zealand, OHalloran is a highly regarded figure on the local advertising scene he holds the chairmanship of Interbrand Australia, and board positions with the Advertising Federation of Australia, AWARD and the Omnicom media group, and hes an important part of the DDB International management team. All of this extra-curricular activity cements his influence in the industry and secures his place in the Power 50.

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35 NIGEL MARSH
Nigel Marsh waited just two days to wield his power at Y&R Brands after stepping into the top job as chief executive on 1 July. First, he hired Julie Porter as MD of George Patterson Y&R Sydney, replacing Andrew Sargant. Next, he retrenched 24 staff in the agencys creative, planning and account service departments, including creative director Michael Stanford, to improve the agencys flailing creative reputation in Sydney. I have a mandate from Sir Martin Sorrell and Hamish McLennan to have all the Y&R Brands group companies performing at the top of their game, so some finetuning is necessary, he says. As CEO, Marsh oversees the offices of Patts, Ideaworks, The Campaign Palace, Wunderman and PPR. Y&R Brands has won $100 million of business so far this year, including accounts for Dell and LG, but ramping up the groups overall revenue is a daunting task. The networks flagship, Patts, is floundering at the moment. The agency lost a large chunk of its Telstra business to Singleton Ogilvy & Mather and it is battling to prevent long-term client Arnotts from walking. Arnotts is currently pitching its Tim Tams account, but insiders believe this could signal the end of its 73-year relationship with Patts. In Melbourne, Patts is being criticised

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for an ugly legal dispute with former MD Anthony Heraghty, which hasnt helped generate goodwill towards the agency. Luckily, Marsh boasts a track record of reviving agencies. At Leo Burnett, where he was CEO and later chairman, he is credited with turning the agency around, winning business from NRMA, McDonalds, Freedom and 7-Eleven. Nigel is the master of momentum. Once he gets it rolling, he is nearly impossible to stop, says Leo Burnett CEO Todd Sampson, who also worked with Marsh at DArcy before its closure in the late 1990s. Clearly, Y&Rs global boss Hamish McLennan and executive chairman of Y&R Brands Matt McGrath who drops out of this years Power 50 after stepping back from the CEO of Y&R Brands to make way for Marsh believe Marsh is the man for the job. We are two years after a merger and the businesses as a whole are in good shape, but it is not great. To get to great we need to bring in new talent. We need to push the boat out and Nigel is going to be critical to that, says McGrath. Anyone whos ever met Marsh, who recently launched his second book, Observations of a Very Short Man, would admit hes got the energy for the job. Its a task, however, that many ad execs would gladly wash their hands of.

36 PHILIP SALTER & PETER MATTICK

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37 MARK SUNDQUIST

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The increasingly powerful influence researchers have on campaigns and clients marketing decisions makes Mark Sundquist, CEO of Photon research company The Leading Edge, a logical debutant in the Power 50. During his 20-year career, Sundquist has worked on both the agency and client side. He has been with The Leading Edge started up by Derek Leddie for the past 13 years, but his role has grown significantly recently. Now responsible for the business globally, Sundquist oversees more than 100 staff in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and London. Working on leading Australian businesses and brands, The Leading Edge aims to influence all aspects of business and marketing strategy, from brand, to innovation, channel, pricing and communication. BMF executive creative director Warren Brown says research companies give clients reassurance that they are pursuing the right path. They [research companies] are there to make sure that when a client is spending a significant amount of money, its not going to be frittered away, Brown says. They help develop the work, and get a litmus test of what the general public thinks of ideas. M&C Saatchi regional creative director Asia Pacific & US Tom McFarlane says there is now a greater balance between agencies and research companies with the introduction in recent years of strategic planning agencies. With the research companies I work with now, I have a better relationship with them than I had 15 years ago. Theyve cleaned up their industry a fair bit and the moderators are better. At the helm of one of the biggest players, Sundquist slots comfortably among the other power players on this list.

Long-time business partners Philip Salter and Peter Mattick have dropped one spot in the Power 50 this year, but their grip on the Australian direct marketing scene could be strengthening. The pair formed their business in 1979, listed in 2002 and now lay claim to Australias most dominant one-to-one communications business, Salmat, with an annual turnover approaching $1 billion. The first news on the agenda last year was the launch of lasoo.com.au, a pre-shopping retail goods search engine. Although the site has been slow to deliver returns, it has potential in the fledgling online retail sector. The other major news for the duo was the $318 million purchase of rival HPAL. The acquisition combines Salmats expertise in mail-outs, catalogue distribution and call centre operations with HPALs information management services. HPALs clients were mostly in financial services, telecommunications, utilities and government, thus broadening Salmats skill set and reach. The transaction is a unique opportunity to create the leading business one-to-one communication force in Australia and benefits both sets of employees, customers and shareholders, Mattick told media. When the deal was first revealed in 2007, the cofounders said they would spend two years bedding it down. Salmats financial results this year reflected that prediction, with profit down significantly, but Salter and Mattick were upbeat. We expect EBITA before significant items for the full [2008] year to be between $55 million and $60 million, which is 17% to 27% up on last year, the pair said in Salmats half-year financial report for the six months ended 31 December 2007. The acquisition of HPAL could be more important for the power it delivers to Salmat, as it further cements Salter and Matticks hold on the DM game.

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39 JAMES WARBURTON
A contender for the past three years, James Warburtons debut on the Power 50 was only a matter of time. Regarded as one of advertising and medias leading personalities, Warburton has virtually done it all in the industry. He has spent time as a client, as the head of an agency and, for the past five years, on the media side, giving him a distinct advantage over many of his competitors. Warburton makes this years list because of his promotion in July from the position of Sevens national sales director to chief sales & digital officer of Seven Media Group. This newly created role puts Warburton in charge of about $1.4 billion in revenue. Warburton is responsible for all sales across the Seven Network, Pacific Magazine and Yahoo!7. He is responsible for expanding and leveraging the groups cross-platform selling abilities. Most recently he has also been handed the difficult job of launching the TiVo digital video recorder into the Australian market. Warburton joined Seven in 2003 after three successful years as the head of Universal McCann. He has played a big part, along with CEO David Leckie, programming director Tim Worner and news boss Peter Meakin, in the resurgence of the Seven Network over the past few years.

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Before his tenure at Universal, which included winning a Media Lion Grand Prix at Cannes, Warburton was general manager marketing at Hyundai. A champion of free-to-air TV and vocal critic of pay TV, Warburton is also the husband of Austar marketing executive Nikki Warburton, making the couple one of Australian medias most powerful. A man who gets things done, Warburton is seen by many industry analysts to be David Leckies eventual successor as Seven CEO. His power and influence are set to strengthen.

38 LEE STEPHENS
Lee Stephens has entirely lived up to the high expectations set by Aegis Media Pacific when it welcomed him on board as chief executive in mid-2007, according to Stephens boss Patrick Stahle, CEO of Aegis Media Asia Pacific. Stephens came to Aegis from emitch where he was CEO. He has also worked at FPC and Fairfax Digital, giving him broad media experience. Charged with overseeing all of Aegis Medias Pacific operations and given the daunting task of doubling revenues within three years, Stephens is on track. Lee has managed to revitalise the Carat organisation and put Carat back on track as one of the leading media agencies in Australia, says Stahle. He led the acquisition of Apollo, the largest independent promotional marketing agency in Australia and New Zealand, launched iProspect into the Australian market, and we are in the final stages of launching Vizeum in

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Australia, which will be led by Lee. Stephens plans to launch an out-of-home communications agency, Posterscope, and sports marketing agency Velocity in the future. With Aegis challenger brand Vizeum pitching for the Commonwealth Banks media business and Carat pitching to defend the coveted Tourism Australia account at the time of going to press, plus new business wins including Network Ten, Bayer Consumer Health and Mattel, Stephens is charging into the next phase of Aegiss development. Stephens oversees 300 staff and a company portfolio that includes two research companies Synovate and Aztech Systems. His strong digital background has equipped him well for the evolution of media agencies, and he possesses a natural management style. For these reasons, Stephens steps up seven spots in this years AdNews Power 50.

40 JOE POLLARD

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Joe Pollard has become one of PBL Medias most important powerbrokers since joining the company as sales & marketing director two years ago. Handed the task of stitching together cross-platform deals across the Nine Network, ACP and Ninemsn, Pollard wasted no time meeting with just about every media planner and buyer in the country. A series of successful group deals later and most punters agree Pollard has succeeded in her original mandate. Now Pollard is tackling what could be her biggest challenge yet reversing the declining fortunes of PBL Medias joint venture portal with Microsoft, Ninemsn. Once Australias most dominant online property, Ninemsn has seen its market share steadily decline in recent years as increasingly sophisticated online audiences and advertisers migrate to niche media sites. Two months after Pollard was called in to stop the rot three senior Ninemsn executives, including CEO Tony Faure, had resigned. Pollard has since introduced a new commercial structure, consolidating all sales teams across online, mobile, video and performance. While its too early to gauge results from Pollards overhaul, the new structure better aligns with Pollards original integration role and has been welcomed by the market. It is also clear the former JWT media planner and Nike marketing director commands considerable respect within the PBL juggernaut.

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41 GARY
HARDWICK
SAME
A newcomer to the Power 50 last year, head of Ikon Communications Gary Hardwick retains his position despite a threat to his grip on the $50m Commonwealth Bank (CBA) media account. After moving its advertising account to San Francisco-based Goodby Silverstein & Partners, CBA recently announced a media review and has scouted a range of agencies from strategic shop Naked to start-ups that have not yet launched in Australia. However, CBA marketing chief Mark Buckman has Ikon in the running, after what he describes as a fantastic job over the nine and a half years since Ikon launched as a dedicated agency for the bank. Regardless of whether Ikon hangs on to the CBA account, Hardwicks role as chairman of the Media Federation of Australia positions him as the voice of the media buying industry, and gives him a chance to shape industry. Hardwick and business partner Simon White sold 90% of the agency to holding group STW in late 2006, netting an estimated $25 million. Ikon and [branded content firm] New Dialogue have unique services, processes and offerings, and a unique way of doing business, says Clive Burcham, head of fellow STW agency The Conscience Organisation. Gary is thorough in his communications and very understanding of people. So whilst on the surface of agency land, they are a great outfit, he and Simon White are modern business leaders at the same time, and leading Australian entrepreneurs in their own right.

42 KEN STEINKE

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Ken Steinke has slipped five spots in this years Power 50 after a rough year at the helm of West Australian Newspapers (WAN). Most notably, billionaire businessman and majority owner of the Seven Network, Kerry Stokes, continues to breathe down Steinkes neck. As WANs biggest shareholder, Stokes represents a problem that Steinke can not afford to ignore. Stokes recently upped his stake in the company to 22.3%, and called for the removal of the entire WAN board earlier this year. He publicly questioned its leadership and the financial performance of the company. These developments have cast a shadow over Steinkes leadership failing to keep a majority shareholder happy has put him in a perilous position. Steinke, 52, was appointed as chief executive at WAN in mid-2006 and was previously CEO of APN New Zealand National Publishing based in Auckland, so he definitely has the experience for the role. But The West Australian paper is currently in bad shape, and not just financially it is also fast losing respect among its local community. The papers editor Paul Armstrong continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, prompting repeated calls for him to be sacked. However, Steinke and the board continue to back Armstrong. Steinke has also pulled the pin on a 33-month foray into cinema ownership in a joint venture with PBL, offloading the Hoyts cinema chain at a collective loss of more than $100 million. He is, however, in charge of one of the ripest takeover targets in the country, and what will happen next is anyones guess.

43 BRENDAN HOPKINS
Brendan Hopkins can blame his slip from 19 down to 43 on the debut of fellow APN heavyweight Gavin OReilly in the Power 50 after his recent appointment as non-executive chairman of APN News & Media. However, after being appointed chief executive of APN News & Media in 2002, and since aggressively building the companys assets in publishing, outdoor and online, Hopkins influence is still strong within APN. Hopkins has overseen the acquisition of AdSpace, boosting APNs outdoor presence, and saw the 50% APN-owned Adshel retain its 20-year Melbourne tram advertising contract. This year APN snapped up Media1, the third largest outdoor advertising company in New Zealand. A former chief executive of UK media group Independent News & Media, Hopkins has a long-standing relationship with the OReilly family, ensuring his ongoing influence over company acquisitions in the region. APNs existing assets include 23

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regional daily newspapers and more than 100 non-daily and community titles, APN Outdoor, the Australian Radio Network. APN has also made its mark across the Tasman with nzherald.co.nz, the finda business directories and The Radio Network. Despite APNs flat first-half earnings, with net profit for the six months to June 2008 falling 0.7% to $71.9 million, Hopkins said it was a a good set of results in light of the current economic difficult conditions. Continued solid performances from our Australian and Asian businesses give the board confidence that APN is well placed to take advantage of improvements in underlying trading conditions in each of our major markets, Hopkins said. Hopkins has his fingers in other pies too. As well as being on the APN News & Media board, Hopkins is a governor of The Australian Ireland Fund, a director of Independent News & Media and a board member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

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45 DARREN WOOLLEY

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44 MAT BAXTER

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Mat Baxters inclusion on this list will no doubt rile some people in the industry. The strong reaction this renegade media strategist solicits in the industry is a good indication of his influence. Love him or hate him, Mat Baxter knows how to shake things up. The outspoken CEO of Naked Communications Asia Pacific has been described by one competitor as an acquired taste, but even his detractors admit he is a force to be reckoned with. Photon Groups acquisition of Naked globally in January the groups biggest deal to date at $36.7 million gave Baxter a power injection. The 30-year-old was instantly charged with the agencys expansion into Asia and given a new title to reflect his growing regional role. Hes been recognised in a network of very intelligent people, says one media agency executive. That says something about Baxters abilities and his future. A regular conference speaker and media commentator, Baxter never fails to challenge what he calls the dinosaurs traditional advertising and media agencies. Whether you agree with his views or not, he plays an instrumental role in generating debate about the present and future of the ad industry which is all the more valuable in an environment where most people are too scared to comment publicly. In addition, with a client list that includes blue-chip companies such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Reebok and Heineken, Nakeds influence on brands from the big end of town cannot be underestimated. As the company advising these clients on the best strategies for their brands, Nakeds influence is arguably greater than that of media buyers charged with the transactions. At the helm of all this, Baxter, who at 23 became Australias youngest ever media director, is not afraid to use his power.

Down just two spots in this years Power 50, Darren Woolley has not only retained his power footing in local marketing but is now looking to establish a foothold in Asia. The ultimate advertising middleman, Woolley has continued his companys hold on agency and production audits and, in particular, managing major pitches. This year in June alone, he headed the multimillion-dollar Vodafone and Medibank Private pitches. The upside of a day job like this is that Woolley is privileged to have the regular ear of major clients and agencies alike. It is a rare position of influence and one that he uses Woolley is a regular media commentator and launched a carbon emission agency division, P3Green, already a headline-hogger. Furthermore, gatekeeper Woolley is expanding. He has opened an office in Hong Kong, renaming his firm from P3 to P3 Trinity to avoid confusion with a similarly-named firm, and has taken on the title of regional managing director. While a plan to link with other consulting firms recently fell through, Woolley says he has immediate plans to launch in Singapore, with a mid-term eye on the Dubai, UK, China and US markets. Regardless of how Woolleys overseas ventures turn out, his position on home turf looks secure. With more than 40 top advertisers on his books, he has talked himself into the role of advertisings referee, where both sides of the game have to follow his rules.

46 MARK COAD
After Mark Coad joined OMD Melbourne as managing director in 2003, he tripled the size of the business over the next two and a half years. Then in 2006, he took the reins as national managing director without skipping a beat, continuing the agencys flush run of account wins and year-onyear revenue growth. Today, OMD has an enviable list of clients, including McDonalds, St George, Bank SA, Telstra and Johnson & Johnson. In fact, its a list so comprehensive that parent company Omnicom is launching not one, but two agency brands in Australia to manage client conflicts within the network. The first agency will be a sister agency to OMD, and is expected to launch in Melbourne with GE Money as its first client, according to UK magazine Campaign. Omnicom is also preparing to launch media agency PHD in Australia, though this brand will likely sit within Total Advertising & Communications. The imminent launch of the two additional media brands in Australia will help Omnicom tighten its grip on the local media landscape. Currently, the group handles an estimated $3.2 billion in billings a good distance behind WPPs

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GroupM, which controls about $6.4 billion. But as Omnicom secures a larger portion of the media pie overall, it can only enhance the scope of Coads responsibilities within the network. Since Coad stepped into the role at OMD, he has pushed the agency into fresh markets first into South Australia, and more recently into Brisbane, where he penned a deal with Smart Media to launch OMD Brisbane in November last year. Coads reputation for being one of Australias leading media practitioners also contributed to his selection as jury president at this years Dubai Lynx Advertising Awards. Coads style as a leader is respected within the Omnicom network. He is a big advocate of a strong internal culture, and has allowed people at all levels of the business to flourish professionally and personally, says Alistair Henderson, head of Fuse at OMD. His open door policy means new ideas get an early and open hearing and issues get tackled quickly and effectively. Despite this, other media networks are planning similar assaults on the market, leading Coad to slip five rungs on this years Power 50 ladder.

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48 JACK MATTHEWS

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47 TOM MOULT
As executive chairman of Euro RSCG South Pacific, Tom Moult not only heads up all local Havas agencies but is this countrys official Havas representative and link to one of the worlds largest communications companies and the influential Bollor clan. This year Moult stepped back from his role heading Euro RSCG in Australia, handing over to incoming chief executive Paul Bennett. But Moult still oversees all Australian Havas agencies, including the Euro RSCG group, The Furnace Sydney and Melbourne and 50% of MPG, Havass joint venture with Mitchell & Partners. It has been a mixed year for Havas, and Moult is slightly down in this years Power 50. For a start, after hiring 22 staff to service the $35 million Dell account, Euro lost the whole shebang in a global realignment. With chief executive Brendan Tansey departing the agency it will be up to his replacement, Bennett, to tidy up the loss. On the positive front, The Furnace picked up several account wins, The Red Agency launched in Brisbane, and MPG not only launched in New Zealand but held on to the $50 million Optus account. Havas is set to launch a new agency in the region, after recently acquiring UK agency Archibald Ingall Stretton. And the prospects for a post-Dell Euro recovery are strong. Most significantly for Tom Moult, Havas AsiaPacific revenue increased $20% in 2007 to $125 million, with regional organic growth surging by 17%. Moults ties in the local advertising scene cannot be underestimated, with many of his competitors and influential clients speaking highly of him. His sway within Havas is also significant. Tom holds a disproportionate amount of power within the network compared to the importance of Australia from a global perspective. Thats because hes very, very good and hugely respected, says The Furnace chief executive Anthony Gregorio. If Euro can hold its own and the other agencies continue to grow, Moult is set for a powerful 2008, and even stronger ties to the Bollor family.

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Making his debut in the Power 50, Jack Matthews is the driving force behind one of Australias largest and fastestgrowing online empires, Fairfax Digital. Since joining Fairfax Digital as chief executive in April 2006, Matthews has diversified the publishers business beyond its classifieds stronghold through a series of acquisitions and partnerships, as well as increased investment in its news and information sites. Significant new ventures for Fairfax Digital over the past two years include the launch of online-only news sites Brisbane Times and WA Today, and youth site The Vine, as well as taking stakes in Essential Baby and The Weather Company. More recently, an advertising sales partnership with eBay effectively doubled Fairfax Digitals available page impressions. And in an unusual move for an online publisher, Fairfax Digital this year launched its own search marketing agency, Advantate. A joint venture between Fairfax Digital and Melbourne IT, Advantate targets small-to-medium website owners, which Fairfax already has strong relationships with through its classifieds division. Colleagues describe Matthews as a charismatic leader with an uncanny ability to influence the hearts and minds of co-workers, but one who is not afraid to kick heads when necessary. Importantly, Matthews has the strong backing of Fairfax Media chief David Kirk, who sees digital as integral to the companys future growth strategy. With a background in pay TV and telecommunications, Matthews is intent on positioning Fairfax Digital at the forefront of online video not an easy task given its main competitors, Ninemsn and Yahoo!7, enjoy the backing of TV broadcasters Nine and Seven. Nonetheless, Fairfax Digital is investing heavily in video, with its coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games a case in point. Video highlights updated three times a day along with interviews with athletes helped Fairfax create its most comprehensive Olympics coverage ever. Just over two years into his role as top dog at Fairfax Digital, staff, analysts and even competitors are impressed with Matthews leadership. Debuting at number 48 in the AdNews Power 50, Matthews looks set to rise even higher up the list of adlands most powerful people in the years to come.

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49 MARK DORNEY

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He may not boast a household name, but Mark Dorney helps define the viewing and listening habits of roughly one-third of Australian households as chief executive of Macquarie Media Group. Dorney sits atop Macquarie Southern Cross Media, Australias largest regional media provider with an audience reach of 7.5 million people or 95% of Australias regional population. Since its 2005 listing on the Australian Stock Exchange, Macquarie Media Group has proved a dominant regional radio player with its Macquarie Regional Radioworks, a collection of more than 80 regional radio stations. But it was just last year, when the government opened the flood gates on cross-media ownership, that the Macquarie smarts set in. In November last year, Macquarie bought Southern Cross Broadcasting, flogging off its metro radio and production divisions to Fairfax Media and keeping the regional free-to-air TV operations for itself. In so doing it formed a new division, Macquarie Southern Cross Media, Australias only regionallyfocused media provider to offer clients that golden opportunity: cross-platform advertising. Speaking to media earlier this year, Dorney said his cross-platform advertising offering heralded the next stage of value creation for our investors. Regional TV and radio sales offices were being colocated, he said, and cross-promotional and sponsorship opportunities developed. By driving change in the way Australian ads are bought, sold and developed, and by controlling vast reach in commercial, regional media, Dorney has claimed a position in the AdNews Power 50.

BRUISED EGO 50
There are many people in the industry with a legitimate claim to appearing in the AdNews Power 50, but as numbers are restricted, plenty miss out. This is a list of people who could have made the cut, but missed out. Matt Bailey, CEO, Photon Simone Bartley, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi Alan Batey, executive director, Holden Rob Belgiovane, executive creative director, BWM Peter Biggs, MD, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Rhonda Brown, marketing director, Free TV Geoff Buckley, MD, Tourism Australia Kurt Burnett, sales director, Seven Network Mark Champion, executive director, AFA Nick Chan, CEO, Pacific Magazines Nick Cleaver, CEO, 303 Group Angela Clark, CEO, Macquarie Radio Network Mike Connaghan, CEO, STW Nicholas Davie, CEO, Publicis Mojo Helen Farquhar, director of marketing, McDonalds Richard Finlayson, director of commercial affairs, SBS Anthony Fitzgerald, CEO, Multi Channel Network Julie Flynn, CEO, Free TV Richard Freudenstein, CEO, News Digital Simon Hammond, executive creative chairman, Belong Group Richard Herring, CEO, APN Outdoor Robbie Hills, CEO Asia Pacific Search, GroupM Sandra Hook, CEO, News Magazines Ted Horton, principal, Big Red Group Russel Howcroft, MD, George Patterson Y&R Melbourne Kate Inglis-Clark, CEO, OzTam Tony Kendall, director of sales, News Limited Michelle Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan Research Scott Lorson, CEO, ACP Magazines Rohan Lund, CEO, Yahoo!7 Matthew Melhuish, CEO, BMF Justin Milne, CEO, BigPond Stuart Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell Communication Group Chris Mort, CEO, McCann Worldgroup David Nobay, creative chairman, Droga5 Stuart OBrien, CEO Australia & NZ, Singleton Ogilvy & Mather Cathy OConnor, CEO, DMG Radio Anne Parsons, CEO, MediaCom Andy Pontin, MD, Clemenger BBDO Sydney Mike Porter, buying director, Razor Todd Sampson, CEO, Leo Burnett Collin Segelov, executive director, AANA Mike Smith, group consumer & corporate marketing director, Optus Ryan Stokes, director, Seven Media Group Joe Talcott, group marketing & circulation director, News Limited Mike Tyquin, CEO, Eye Australia & NZ Paul Unerkov, GM marketing, Mitsubishi Chris Walton, CEO, MindShare Paul Williams, managing director, BWM Peter Wiltshire, sales director, Nine Network

50 TOM DERY

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With a finger in many pies, Tom Dery is not only executive chairman Asia Pacific & US at M&C Saatchi, but also chairman of the Sydney Dance Company, which owes its survival in part to Derys cash injections. Known as a networker and a fixer, Dery has also been chairman of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation since 1999. Dery is an influential fixture in Australian advertising. He was a founding partner of The Campaign Palace, he sold Whybin Dery & Partners to DDB Needham in Melbourne and then became its managing director, while in 1995 he was instrumental in launching M&C Saatchi in Australia. Dery has also spent time on the client side, with Qantas and Ansett. However, Dery owes his slip from 46 to 50 this year to the mammoth loss for M&C Saatchi of the Tourism Australia account to DDB, after its Where the Bloody Hell Are You? campaign didnt translate in all markets. Tourism minister Martin Ferguson recently said: While [Bloody] was strong it some markets, it was a dismal failure in other markets. We need to put it in the can. But Dery still squeezes onto the Power 50 list this year for his reputation as a big networker. There is little doubt his strong overseas and local connections will continue to help reel in major accounts for the agency in the future.