IAB Australia has announced the appointment of Sarah Waladan as its director of policy and regulatory affairs effective immediately. Waladan will work with IAB member organisations, other trade associations, policy makers and the global IAB network, with the primary goal of distilling and navigating the myriad of local and global regulatory frameworks that underpin the digital advertising ecosystem today and into the future.
Waladan joins IAB Australia from Free TV Australia where she was head of legal and regulatory affairs and joint company secretary advising Free TV Australia’s members on all aspects of communications law, regulatory and policy issues. Her focus areas included broadcasting, content regulation, privacy, copyright licensing and advertising law. She has also been an active member of Australia’s Right to Know Coalition.
Prior to joining Free TV in 2013, Waladan held various legal and policy roles across government and the private sector with a focus on media and intellectual property issues. She has also previously held voluntary roles as a NSW Committee Member for Amnesty International, a member of the board of M16 Artspace and a volunteer solicitor at Redfern Legal Centre.
Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia commented “We are thrilled to have someone of Sarah’s caliber joining the team to support our members and the broad advertising industry on issues such as data governance, consumer privacy, transparency, industry codes and working to support the continued growth and evolution of the digital advertising industry.”
Waladan said “I am very excited to be joining IAB at a time when the industry is experiencing significant growth and online advertising technologies and practices are rapidly evolving. I look forward to working with publishers, tech platforms and advertisers on the important policy and regulatory issues that the sector faces into the future.”
Waladan holds a Masters degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne, and Bachelor’s degrees in Law and Science from Deakin University with Honours in Law.