Senator Mitch Fifield has taken out the top spot in the 2016 AdNews Power 50 List, but execs from Dentsu Aegis, Omnicom Group, News Corp, Nine Entertainment and Seven West also appear in the Top 10.
Senator Fifield tops the list this year because as Communications Minister he is charge of media reform and infrastructure projects such as the NBN that will impact every aspect of the industry in the current climate as well as shape the future.
Thirteen of the Power 50 are from agencies, 15 hail from the TV industry and 11 are in publishing and just seven are marketers. There are heavy hitters from digital, academia, government and on-air talent. There are 11 women on the list, Nicole Sheffield is the highest placing female on the Power 50 List this year.
A lot has changed in the three years since the last Power 50 was compiled. Want to know who appeared in what order? The list is below in alphabetical order but the full Power 50 List and profiles of each of the 50 appear in the November issue of AdNews in print only. It’s out this week. You can subscribe and purchase a digital version of the mag here tomorrow (8 November) for just $4.49.
As well as the Top 50 ranked from 1 – 50, we've also named 10 individuals who are 'on the edge' of making the list. These ten are included in the alphabetical list below.
The list was compiled editorially with the final decision being made by the AdNews team, but we gleaned input of the industry through an open nominations process which gave an interesting list – but didn't guarantee those nominated a place.
We also tasked for senior industry figures to act as a judging panel to offer insight and guidance to shape the final list. Those were PWC's Megan Brownlow, soon-to- be IPG Mediabrands APAC CEO Leigh Terry, academic Mark Ritson and recruiter Anthony Hourigan – each of whom plays a prominent role in the industry, are respected by their peers and have vast industry network.
AdNews editor Rosie Baker says: “When compiling this list the internal debates were long and difficult. We debated about what it was we were truly compiling. What is power and what does it mean? It is one of those intangible forces, difficult to define but largely irrefutable.
“We didn’t want to just compile a list of the usual suspects, the moguls and the stalwarts of Australian media that control the biggest organisations and budgets. We wanted a list that reflects people with the power and potential to shape the future of the industry.
“Among the varied definitions of power we received, there was one common thread; influence. Power is inextricably linked with influence and that was the basis of our definition. Whether that is influence over business, brands, budget, creativity, people, culture or any other aspect of the media, marketing and advertising world.”
Tell us what you think of the list in comments.
The 2016 Power List Top Ten:
1. Senator Mitch Fifield – Communications Minister
2. Michael Miller – News Corp CEO
3. Peter Horgan – Omnicom Media Group CEO
4. Simon Ryan – Dentsu Aegis Group CEO
5. Kurt Burnette – Seven chief revenue officer
6. Hugh Marks – Nine Entertainment CEO
7. Lachlan Murdoch
8. Damian Eales – NewsCorp MD of Metro & Region & CMO
9. Tim Worner - Seven West Media CEO
10. Nicole Sheffield – CEO NewsLifeMedia & MD News DNA
Now here's the full list - alphabetically by first name. You can find out where they each placed, and why, in the November issue of AdNews. Get a digital version here from 8 November.
• Alan Jones
• Andrew Hicks Woolworths CMO
• Anthony Fitzgerald MCN CEO
• Anthony Hourigan CEO Hourigan International
• Ben White Optus Managing Director, Marketing & Product
• Beverly McGarvey - Chief Content Officer at Network Ten
• Brendon Cook, Ooh!Media CEO
• Damian Eales Managing Director Metros & Regionals, and CMO at News Corp
• Danny Bass IPG Mediabrands CEO
• Facebook
• George Dymond - Coles marketing director
• Grant Blackley SCA CEO
• Greg Hywood - Fairfax Media CEO
• Harold Mitchell
• Henry Tajer, IPG Mediabrands global CEO
• Hugh Marks Nine Entertainment CEO
• Jaimes Leggett - M&C Saatchi Group CEO
• James McGrath - Clemenger BBDO creative chairman
• Jason Pellegrino - Google MD
• Jenni Dill, McDonald’s CMO
• Joe Pollard Telstra CMO
• John Steedman – WPP media services chair
• Kerry Stokes - Seven West Media Exec chair
• Kim Portrate Think TV CEO
• Kurt Burnette Seven Chief Revenue Officer
• Kyle & Jackie O
• Lachlan Murdoch
• Leigh Terry IPG Mediabrands APAC CEO (designate)
• Lisa Ronson Tourism Australia CMO
• Mark Buckman, Foxtel MD customer and retail
• Mark Lollback GroupM CEO
• Mark Reinke Suncorp Group Chief Customer Experience Officer
• Mark Ritson, academic
• Matt James Publicis Media CEO
• Megan Brownlow PWC
• Melina Cruickshank, Domain chief content and marketing officer
• Michael Miller News Corp CEO
• Michael Stephenson – Nine chief sales officer
• Michelle Guthrie ABC MD
• Mike Connaghan – WPP CEO
• Senator Mitch Fifield, Communications Minister
• Nicole Sheffield NewsLifeMedia CEO & News DNA MD
• Olivia Wirth Qantas Group Executive, Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs
• Paul Anderson, Network Ten CEO
• Paul Bradbury TBWA CEO
• Paul Brooks, Carat CEO
• Peter Horgan OMG CEO
• Peter Tonagh Foxtel
• Rob Morgan – Clemenger Group Chairman
• Russel Howcroft , Network Ten Melbourne GM
• Sharb Farjami - Foxtel director of content commercialisation
• Sherlyn Shackell – The Marketing Academy
• Simon Ryan – Dentsu Aegis Network CEO
• Snapchat
• The Monkeys Mark Green Justin Drape, Scott Nowell
• Tim Worner, Seven West CEO
• Tim Whitfield, GroupM Director of Technical Operations
• Todd Sampson
• Tracey Fellows REA Group CEO
• Vittoria Shortt CBA Group Executive, Marketing and Strategy
• Waleed Aly
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Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop me a line at rosiebaker@yaffa.com.au
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