The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) Board has announced the election of Sophie Price, MediaCom chief strategy officer, and Chris Colter, Initiative chief strategy officer, as co-chairs of the MFA Awards and MFA EX.
Price and Colter will take over from Joe Lunn, who vacated the Awards chair role after joining Uber as APAC head of media last month.
As part of the Awards Committee for seven years – including five years as chair – Lunn was an enthusiastic and proactive champion for the value media agencies bring to their clients. His commitment to the Awards program and the MFA EX conference, introduced in 2019, was considerable and steadfast throughout his tenure.
The MFA’s CEO Sophie Madden thanked Joe for his passion and commitment and said: “In leading the revamp of the MFA Awards program to focus around effectiveness and adding greater rigour to the selection of finalists, and in designing the MFA EX conference program in 2019 and 2021, Joe made a lasting impact on our industry while always being positive, passionate and undaunted. We wish him well in his new role.”
Madden added: “In Sophie and Chris, we have two passionate and energetic leaders who will continue to elevate and demonstrate the effectiveness of media agencies’ work, and our ability to deliver long-lasting change.”
Price and Colter will work with the Awards Steering Group to ensure the MFA Awards continue to demonstrate the industry’s ‘We Are The Changers’ purpose by celebrating the most effective and impactful work created by media agencies.
The co-chairs will also oversee the curation and promotion of the industry’s annual effectiveness conference, MFA EX.
This year’s expo in Melbourne and Sydney attracted a combined audience of 2,500 media professionals, with the aim of educating, challenging and inspiring all media agency employees to drive an effectiveness culture in everything we do, for our clients, for our people and for our businesses.
Colter said: “I firmly believe media strategy and implementation in Australia is not just world class, but the benchmark. That’s why the MFA Awards and MFA Ex are so important and have always sat on a pedestal for me.
“They help us all celebrate new possibilities, challenge impossibilities and redefine what modern media planning can and should look like. I couldn’t be more thrilled to chair these platforms alongside Sophie, to keep Australian media as the global reference point for media excellence,” he added.
Price said: “It’s an honour to lead the program that has had a transformational effect on my own career and the agencies I’ve worked for. Working with Chris and the MFA Awards Steering Group, I want to shine a spotlight on our game-changing work to lift the reputation of the industry.
“My vision for the MFA Awards will focus on three areas: linking the MFA Awards more strongly to our industry purpose.
“The work we enter is literally our proof, and the program is a moment to celebrate that; working with the MFA team to leverage the MFA Awards as a learning program, especially for our young folks; and finally, ensuring the awards reflect the change that is a constant in our industry. I’m excited to begin.” she added.
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Top image: Sophie Price and Chris Colter