We've all been touched by the incredible work of Chris Winterburn - an industry legend who has blazed new trails in his 25 years in the business.
MFA Industry Contribution Award recognises talent working within MFA member agencies and partners who exemplify our core purpose, ‘We are the Changers’. This year’s worthy recipient is Chris Winterburn, Managing Director of Media i Group Australia. MFA Industry Contribution Award recognises talent working within MFA member agencies and partners who exemplify our core purpose, ‘We are the Changers’. This year’s worthy recipient is Chris Winterburn, Managing Director of Media i Group Australia.
In a world where many talk the talk, Chris Winterburn is someone who actually walks the walk. The game-changing initiatives Chris has implemented during his 15 years at Media i have had a profound and far-reaching effect on our industry, keeping us better connected, better informed, turning a spotlight on important issues such as wellbeing and DE&I, and celebrating unsung heroes in our industry.
“Chris has been a constant in the industry for 25 years,” says Imogen Hewitt, CEO of Spark Foundry ANZ, who worked with Chris back in the early 2000’s. “As a client leader, he was mentored by one of the best in Annie Parsons. He was well loved and thoroughly respected. For many this would have been sufficient, but Chris has gone on to be a critical voice in the media ecosystem.
“His passion for the industry is evident in the way he approaches Media i – high on integrity, pushing for agencies and publishers alike to commit to continuous improvement. Chris spends precious time with agency leaders and our partners to ensure mutual respect, strong process, and beneficial outcomes for all. He also spearheads events that celebrate the true interdependencies of our industry. He knows the landscape inside out and never ceases to offer help, nows the landscape inside out and never ceases to offer help, wisdom, and guidance to anyone who asks,” she says.
Peter Horgan, CEO of Omnicom Media Group ANZ and MFA Chair, remembers the day Chris approached the MFA with the idea of putting Media i screens in every MFA member office across the country; “It was innovative and audacious, but was pitched in such a positive and compelling way that we were won over from inception.”And it forever changed the way we stay informed; “Media i screens brought live content into offices across the entire agency ecosystem to the benefit of so many in our industry,” says Peter.
Meanwhile, the Media i Awards, which Chris co-established in 2011, are the first of their kind to celebrate the contribution of media owners, acknowledging the important role media sales representatives play in media advertising excellence. “The Media i awards are evidence of Chris’s desire to recognise and give back to deserving stakeholders, and are hotly contested across media owners year after year,” says Peter. Chris also co-founded the Media i Industry Survey – an industry-wide health check that goes on to shape everything from our wellbeing initiatives to training and development programs. “These insights are focused on what really matters – our people, their happiness and how that manifests itself in the position of that agency,” says Aimee Buchanan, CEO of GroupM ANZ. “Through the work Chris has done and, importantly, the way he does it, we have a consistent pulse on the health of our teams and the industry.”
Sophie Madden, CEO of the MFA, concurs, adding; “Because measuring what matters is the first step to creating meaningful change – and that’s exactly what Chris does. He’s a true industry partner whose endless passion, energy and creativity benefit the entire industry, at every level.”