Richard Bean will step down from his role as executive director of Ad Standards, Australia’s advertising complaints handling body, at the end of September.
Martin Brown, chair of the AANA, celebrated Bean’s leadership and expressed appreciation for his contributions.
“On behalf of the AANA Board, I would like to thank Richard for his dedication and professionalism. Richard has been an exceptional leader of Ad Standards, lifting trust and transparency in our world-class advertising self-regulatory system.
“In particular, his work to develop the Community Panel that independently reviews all advertising complaints has significantly strengthened the way it represents the Australian community.
“Richard has strengthened Ad Standards both locally and internationally. As well as a strong focus on developing the capability and leadership of the Canberra-based Ad Standards team, Richard has represented the Australian industry on the Executive Committee of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS).”
Rachel Tunney, Ad Standards communications manager, will be the lead point of contact for all enquiries during the recruitment process for Bean’s replacement.
Earlier this year, Ad Standards reported a 45% increase year-on-year in complaints in 2023, according to the industry watchdog‘s latest Review of Operations.
The community panel designated by the AANA to uphold the industry body‘s Code of Ethics and standards, and exercise regulatory decision-making, received 3,764 complaints last year, with “sexuality and nudity” the main the primary driver.
At the time, Bean told Mediaweek: “While a number of factors may have contributed to this, the top five most complained-about ads in 2023 drew over 800 complaints collectively, whereas the top five ads in 2022 received just 120 complaints in total.”
The overall most complained about ad remained the Perth billboard commissioned by adult entertainer WC savage (aka Savannah) promoting her OnlyFans page, including a QR code which directed to the page. The ad generated 360 complaints, which were subsequently dismissed by Ad Standards.
See also: Ad Standards reports 45% surge in complaints, received ‘nearly 300’ in December
–
Top image: Richard Bean