The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) board has re-appointed Chair Peter Horgan, Deputy Chair Megan Brownlow and board members Katie Rigg-Smith and Mark Lollback for further two-year terms, and appointed Chris O’Keefe as one of two independent media agency board directors.

O’Keefe, the managing partner of independent media agency Match & Wood, with offices in Melbourne and Perth, joins This Is Flow CEO & Founder Jimmy Hyett as the second independent representative – replacing Bohemia Group CEO Brett Dawson, who is stepping down after six years on the board.

As an independent agency representative, Dawson’s position on the board was voted by his peers, who elected him for three two-year terms. Prior to being on the board, he was chair of the MFA Awards Committee.

"Brett has been one of the most active and engaged members of the MFA community and has played an important role in the industry, including as a strong voice advocating for independent agencies," MFA CEO Sophie Madden said.

"The board thanks him for his unwavering commitment over the years. In welcoming Chris, we’ll have another strong independent voice who will bring a valuable multi-market perspective and help drive the agenda for all regions across Australia.”

Madden also thanked all 2020 MFA Board directors for their work during the year.

“In my view, the MFA board is one of the hardest working at the best of times, and as we all know 2020 has been particularly challenging," Madden said.

"Among our proudest achievements this year were the launch of MFA Support, a program supporting media agency professionals who lost their job due to the Covid-19 pandemic; the expansion of our e-learning programs."