On Friday, October 13, Australia’s biggest names in the media industry gathered at the Crown Sydney for the Mediaweek 100 Power Lunch, where the #1 for all four lists was revealed.
All photos can be found here.
Jackie O was present to receive the trophy for #1 on the Star Power 25 List and thanked Mediaweek for their support of Kyle and herself.
“This is very, very humbling, especially when you see everyone else’s name up there and they are all people I admire so much,” she said.
“I feel incredibly grateful to be doing this job and to be in this industry because when we start in this industry, we never know how long it’s going to last so being here now 25 years later and receiving an award like this is an absolute privilege, thank you.”
Mark Green, Group CEO and Co-Founder of The Monkeys and Accenture Song ANZ president took home the title of the Creative Agency 50 List and thanked the Yellow Pages, which he says started his career 25 years ago.
“I’ve loved every minute since I started in this industry,” he said.
“We get to work with really wonderful people all the time and it’s a great honour to be up here today accepting this on behalf of everyone at Accenture Song.”
CEO of GroupM Australia & New Zealand, Aimee Buchanan took home the #1 spot for the Media Agency 50 list.
Buchanan reflected on how she started at GroupM upon receiving her trophy, saying that she made the decision to join the company based on the opportunity she saw for GroupM and the vision that stood out to her.
“I’m hugely passionate about our industry and I think today speaks volumes about the opportunity we have to shape businesses, clients and cultures,” she said.
“Although I am standing up here alone today, this isn’t a business of individuals, it’s built by the power of great teams and I’m incredibly proud of the team I lead at GroupM.”
After placing in the #5 spot in last year’s list, James Warburton, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Seven West Media took home #1 on the Mediaweek 100 Power List.
Warburton accepted his trophy on stage, and echoed the sentiment spoken by Aimee Buchanan, stating that businesses are built by teamwork, teamwork in front of and behind the camera.
“I have a great honour to stand and lead these teams at Seven as CEO and they are wonderful people who love to tell stories and connect with Australia,” he said.
He then went on to thank Kerry Stokes and the rest of the Seven West Media board for supporting Seven through all good and bad times, no matter what.
“I love the media industry and when I think about what we do as an industry, it’s absolutely quite extraordinary.
“Ever since I started in this industry in 2003, I have heard the same thing every week, every month, every year and even more so now due to social media, the idea that TV is under pressure and it’s dying. In FY23, the television industry in totality put out 1.2 billion dollars of profit. It’s safe to say we aren’t going anywhere, yes we are changing and changing very rapidly, but my god are we a strong industry.
He finished his speech by thanking all the agencies and clients, saying that Seven wouldn’t be in the position they are now without them.
“Thank you so much, I’m taking this trophy back for everyone at Seven.”
See the full lists here:
Star Power 25 List
Creative Agency 50 List
Media Agency 50 List
Mediaweek 100 Power List