Communication Agencies Association Appoints CEO

Communication Agencies Association Appoints CEO

The Communication Agencies Association of New Zealand (CAANZ) has appointed public affairs specialist, Mark Champion, as its Chief Executive Officer.

Announcing the appointment, CAANZ President, Martin O’Halloran, said the appointment of a CEO to the position is an acknowledgment the organisation intends to take a stronger leadership role in the communications industry, especially with respect to Government and industry partners.

“The communication industry faces a changing landscape – not only in its own business, but in the businesses it serves. We intend to take a stronger leadership position and further enhance our contribution to the debates and decisions that impact on our industry,” said Mr O’Halloran.

The new CEO, Mark Champion was, until recently, Public Affairs Manager for Air New Zealand and prior to that held a similar role with BellSouth and Vodafone.

He comes from a background of television journalism and production having spent 12 years in the industry - including Executive Producer of TVNZ’s ‘Frontline’ and ‘Assignment’ current affairs programmes.

“The strength of Mark’s communications credentials is a signal that CAANZ will be taking a more prominent role in regulatory and industry issues,” said Mr O’Halloran.

“It is also our view that the future strength of our industry is very much tied to the fortunes of our advertisers and media owners. With that in mind you can expect CAANZ to work more closely with organisations like the Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA) the Newspapers Publishers Association (NPA) and the New Zealand Television Broadcasters Council (NZTBC).

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the considerable contribution made in the development of the organisation by the previous head of CAANZ – Executive Director, Lynne Clifton. Lynne has led the organisation through a period of considerable change and leaves a very solid foundation from which to build,” he said.

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