Anna Hannaford named managing director of Forbes Australia

Success Publishing has appointed Anna Hannaford as Managing Director of Forbes Australia. Founder Michael Lane moves from Chief Executive to a non-executive Founder role, the company announced on 11 November 2026.

Hannaford has been Chief Operating Officer since the title launched in September 2022. She now oversees the business's strategy and performance, leading its commercial, events, marketing, and operations teams.

Lane said he would now “focus on the board and our long-term strategy”.

Hannaford’s priorities

Hannaford said her priorities included “doubling down on what’s working”, led by the increased investment in local storytelling, the BrandVoice content studio, and opening new revenue streams.

“Other media companies chase scale. We went after quality and a deep relationship with our readers, and our partners have followed,” she said.

Readership and brand tracking

Forbes Australia’s print readership increased 27% to 386,000 in the 12 months to June 2026, according to Roy Morgan. The company said the title reaches more than 479,000 Australians each month across print, digital, events, and video.

Brand tracking platform Tracksuit measured the 12 months to September 2026 in the Financial News & Media Sources category. It found consumer awareness of the title rose six percentage points to 56%. Consideration, investigation, usage, and preference each rose five points.

“When we launched, plenty of people told us print was the wrong bet,” Hannaford said.

The company said all of its events this year sold out and 60% of its revenue now comes from outside traditional advertising. It said Forbes Club, its membership community for high-net-worth business owners and investors, has grown 150% in the past year.

How Forbes Australia was built

Lane and Hannaford brought the Forbes licence to Australia more than four years ago. As Chief Operating Officer, Hannaford built the leadership team and helped set up the title’s print, digital, live events, membership, and branded content operations.

The title publishes a bi-monthly print magazine and runs franchises including the Australia’s 50 Richest and 30 Under 30 lists, and the Forbes Business Summit and Women’s Summit. Its brand partners since launch have included NAB Private Wealth, Salesforce, Lancôme, Cartier, Range Rover, and Bentley.

Sarah O’Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Australia, said most of the title’s directors “have been with us since day one”.

The company said several senior appointments will follow in the coming months.