European outdoor media company Wildstone has set its eyes on Australia's A$1.07 billion out of home market, and has selected Noel Cook, the co-founder of local out of home giant oOh!media, to drive its expansion down under as Managing Director.

The company, which has acquired and developed over 5,000 static and digital OOH assets across Europe since 2010, is coming to the Australian market with the intention of acquiring existing OOH portfolios and individual sites, developing new locations, and converting existing static sites to digital.

Cook brings over 30 years of leadership experience in Australia's OOH sector to his new role as Wildstone's Managing Director for Australia. He has undertaken over 30 outdoor advertising M&A transactions.

"Our expansion into Australia marks a significant milestone for Wildstone. The market offers tremendous growth potential, particularly in the digitisation of existing sites. We have long admired Noel's work and are thrilled to have him join our team. His exceptional pedigree in the world of OOH and DOOH will be instrumental in helping us achieve all the goals we have set," said Founder and CEO of Wildstone, Damian Cox.

The company sees the digitisation of static OOH sites as a key priority, aiming to bring innovative digital solutions to the Australian market. According to WARC, 70% of Australian OOH spend is already focused on digital and is forecast to grow at 14%.

"Wildstone's track record, leadership and expertise in Europe speak for themselves, and there is immense growth potential for their world-class platform in the Australian market. I'm particularly excited to help them deliver the benefits of digitisation to Australia, which will help maximise opportunities for landlords and media buyers across the country," said Cook.