Nicole Bence, network digital sales director at Seven West Media, has been appointed Chair of the IAB Australia Board, effective immediately.
Bence succeeds Matt Rowley, CEO of Pedestrian Group, who has been Chair since January 2019. She has been a member of the IAB Australia Board since 2020.
Bence will work closely with IAB Australia CEO, Gai Le Roy, on initiatives and programs to address key industry matters including the role of measurement ratings currency, preparation for changes to online identifiers such as cookies, continuing to drive programmatic transparency and input in the local Privacy Act review.
Bence joined Seven West Media in February 2020 from Pacific Magazines, where she led its commercial team. Previously Bence was digital commercial director at NOVA Entertainment and led the sales and strategy for kidspot.com.au and taste.com.au at News Corp Australia’s NewsLifeMedia.
Le Roy commented: “It has been a delight working with Matt over the last two years driving some amazing initiatives including diversifying the board as well as significantly expanding the member base. Nicole is a passionate leader with such a strong knowledge of digital media and data, but she is also a true cross media leader. Nicole will lead the Board into what is an incredibly busy and important time for the digital advertising industry.”
Bence said: “It’s a great privilege to take on the Chair role at IAB Australia and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to build on Matt’s great work.
“IAB Australia’s key purpose to grow sustainable and diverse investment in digital advertising in Australia has never been more important. The digital advertising and technology ecosystem is changing rapidly and constantly, and I’m honoured to be able to play a part in its evolution and growth.
“One of my key priorities is to champion the power and efficacy of digital advertising. A trusted, robust and effective measurement metric, with standards that inspire confidence across the entire media and marketing sector, is critical for our industry,” said Bence.
Outgoing IAB Australia Chair and CEO of Pedestrian Group, Matt Rowley said “It’s been an honour to chair this Board and work with Gai and her team as we’ve driven some excellent initiatives, including diversifying the board as well as significantly expanding the member base through some very testing times. Nicole is a passionate leader with such a strong knowledge of digital media and data, but she is also a true cross media expert. Nicole will lead the Board into what is an incredibly busy and important time for the digital advertising industry.”