On Friday, October 13, Australia’s biggest names in the media industry gathered at the Crown Sydney for the Mediaweek 100 Power Lunch, where the #1 for all four lists was revealed.
Star Power 25
The first list revealed at the event was the Star Power 25, which counted down the top 25 most influential and powerful talents on screen and on air. Rounding out the top five on the list was:
5. Allison Langdon, Nine Network
4. Hamish Blake and Andy Lee, SCA / Nine
3. Sonia Kruger, Seven Network
2. Ben Fordham, 2GB
and coming in at #1 were Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson, who kept their crown for another year after winning the same list in 2022.
The pair have had a historic run in FM radio, dominating the breakfast slot since 2004 across two different stations and are still going from strength to strength.
Jackie O was present to receive the pair’s trophy and thanked Mediaweek for their support of Kyle and herself.
“This is very, very humbling, especially when you see everyone else’s name up there and they are all people I admire so much,” she said.
“I feel incredibly grateful to be doing this job and to be in this industry because when we start in this industry, we never know how long it’s going to last so being here now 25 years later and receiving an award like this is an absolute privilege, thank you.”
Creative Agency 50 Power List
Next up was the reveal of who took out the Creative Agency 50, a list that counts down the top 50 most influential and powerful creative agency executives in the country and examines how they positively influence the industry, their organisation, and the client’s business.
Mark Green, Group CEO and Co-Founder of The Monkeys and Accenture Song ANZ president took home the title and thanked the Yellow Pages, which he says started his career 25 years ago.
“I’ve loved every minute since I started in this industry,” he said.
“We get to work with really wonderful people all the time and it’s a great honour to be up here today accepting this on behalf of everyone at Accenture Song.”
Media Agency 50 Power List
CEO of GroupM Australia & New Zealand, Aimee Buchanan took home the #1 spot for the Media Agency 50 list.
Buchanan reflected on how she started at GroupM upon receiving her trophy, saying that she made the decision to join the company based on the opportunity she saw for GroupM and the vision that stood out to her.
“I’m hugely passionate about our industry and I think today speaks volumes about the opportunity we have to shape businesses, clients and cultures,” she said.
“Although I am standing up here alone today, this isn’t a business of individuals, it’s built by the power of great teams and I’m incredibly proud of the team I lead at GroupM.”
Mediaweek 100 Power List
Rounding out the afternoon was the reveal of who topped the Mediaweek 100 Power List, a countdown of Australia’s top 100 media executives.
The media executives are the ones who control the direction of the most influential media companies in the country. From operations, sales, marketing, and content, these decision-makers shape the industry.
After placing in the #5 spot in last year’s list, James Warburton, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Seven West Media took home #1.
Warburton accepted his trophy on stage, and echoed the sentiment spoken by Aimee Buchanan, stating that businesses are built by teamwork, teamwork in front of and behind the camera.
“I have a great honour to stand and lead these teams at Seven as CEO and they are wonderful people who love to tell stories and connect with Australia,” he said.
He then went on to thank Kerry Stokes and the rest of the Seven West Media board for supporting Seven through all good and bad times, no matter what.
“I love the media industry and when I think about what we do as an industry, it’s absolutely quite extraordinary.
“Ever since I started in this industry in 2003, I have heard the same thing every week, every month, every year and even more so now due to social media, the idea that TV is under pressure and it’s dying. In FY23, the television industry in totality put out 1.2 billion dollars of profit. It’s safe to say we aren’t going anywhere, yes we are changing and changing very rapidly, but my god are we a strong industry.
He finished his speech by thanking all the agencies and clients, saying that Seven wouldn’t be in the position they are now without them.
“Thank you so much, I’m taking this trophy back for everyone at Seven.”
See the full lists here:
Star Power 25 List
Creative Agency 50 List
Media Agency 50 List
Mediaweek 100 Power List