Page 75 - Adnews Nov-Dec 2022

Meet the Team
In October 2023, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) ushered in a new era by appointing Josh Faulks CEO.
AANA
Faulks, having previously served as a director at KPMG, was brought in to revitalise the 94-year-old industry body, something that Martin Brown, chair of the AANA, said he was “extremely well placed” to do.
Faulks joins AANA with a strong balance of business, government and industry experience, including stints in the corporate sector and the ABC. “At KPMG, I set up a national business in their branded marketing
division, and that was about building trust and reputation.
“I think the board was attracted to knowing not only how to run a business, but also the elements around building trust and reputation,
which is so crucial in our industry.”
Upon taking up his new role, Faulks said he has been “blown away”
by how welcoming everyone in the industry has been.
“For me, that's confirmed two things. One is that the industry's bad repu-
tation is undeserved – it’s actually a really kind, supportive industry. The second thing is there's a lot of love out there for AANA. That's what I'm excited about - taking that love and then turning into it real outcomes.”
Faulks said that it’s a tough time for the industry at the moment, with a worldwide economic contraction to deal with. AANA is also hearing from their members that marketing budgets are being squeezed because of that economic contraction, with CMOs going to their leadership teams and asking for more money to invest in brands to counter the downturn.
“What we're getting feedback on is the key to getting approval to that additional investment is being able to clearly demonstrate that return
WORDS BY
JASON POLLOCK
www.adnews.com.au | November-December2022 75