ASA|CAP - Advertising Standards Authority Ltd. / Committees of Advertising Practice Ltd.

04/24/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/24/2024 03:31

Welcoming a new Council member

ASA Chairman, Lord David Currie, has today announced the appointment of new Council member, Matt Barwell. Our Council is the body responsible for deciding if UK ads, across media, have broken the advertising rules and, if so, should be amended or withdrawn. It also operates as the Board of the ASA.

Our Council is formed of 12 members, of whom two-thirds are independent of industry. The remaining third have a recent, or current, background in the advertising or media sectors. Collectively, the members offer a wide range of skills and experiences, representing the perspectives of a wide cross section of society, including young people, families, charities and consumer groups.

Matt Barwell will begin his term as an Advertising Background (Advertiser) Council member in April 2024, replacing Zaid Al-Qassab, who has completed his very successful term.

Also starting in April 2024 will be new Independent Council members Murphy Cobbing and Monisha Shah, who were appointed last year. They replace Nita P Woods and Aaqil Ahmed, who have completed their very successful terms.

Of the appointment, Lord Currie said:

"I am delighted to welcome Matt to the ASA Council. His knowledge and experience of the advertising industry is second to none and his insights will play an important part in supporting Council in its decision making. It is an incredibly interesting and dynamic time to join the ASA as we embark on our new five-year strategy, AI-assisted collective ad regulation, and ensure we continue to provide effective protection to people and business from misleading or irresponsible ads. I also look forward to Murphy and Monisha starting too and would like to thank Zaid, Nita and Aaqil for their exemplary service as ASA Council members and wish them the very best for the future."

About our new Council member:

Matt Barwell

Matt has more than 35 years of Marketing and Advertising experience, having held senior positions in three of the world's leading FMCG businesses: Mars Inc; Diageo; and Britvic. He has led teams across many international markets. His most recent Executive role was serving as Chief Marketing Officer for Britvic, where he was also responsible for Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and R&D.

Matt has strong industry stakeholder relationships and regulatory experience, gained through the Presidents Committee of Food & Drink Federation, Advertising Association and ISBA. He is a former Chair of the AA's Front Foot Group and of the Marketing Group of Great Britain, as well as being a Fellow of the Marketing Society.

He is currently an Advisor and NED for a number of scale-up businesses and is a Trustee for a leading Children's Mental Health Charity, Place2Be. He lives in Berkshire with his wife Harriet, two dogs and has three grown-up sons.

  • Keep up to date

    Sign up to our rulings, newsletters and emargoed access for Press. Subscribe now.