Tesco CCO Becomes President Of Advertising Association
Alessandra Bellini, chief customer officer and executive sponsor for D&I at Tesco, is now the Advertising Association’s new president, succeeding Keith Weed.
Bellini will work to guide the strategic direction of the Advertising Association in promoting “the role and rights of responsible advertising and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy.”
Bellini will work with Philippa Brown from PHD, chair of the association, as well as the chief executive, Stephen Woodford, to lead a council of industry leaders from media owners, agencies, brands and trade bodies.
The Advertising Association current workstreams include rebuilding public trust in advertising through its Trust campaign, building a fully inclusive workplace with ‘All In’ and taking positive action on climate change through Ad Net Zero.
Bellini will also support the association’s work around Government proposals and regulatory issues affecting the sector as well as the promotion of UK advertising globally. She will also play a “crucial role in advancing the position of advertising as a pillar of the UK’s £110bn creative economy”.
Stephen Woodford, chief executive, Advertising Association, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank Keith for his enormous energy and commitment during his time as President. He has led the way, during a period of huge change to help our work in rebuilding trust in the industry and acted as the brightest bastion of the principles and responsibilities we take into the future. I am hugely excited now to welcome Alessandra, a greatly respected leader in the advertising and marketing spheres, as our new President. Her international experience in board-level positions across the world makes her perfectly placed to advocate for the strength and economic position of the UK’s advertising industry as we recover from the pandemic.
“Her strategic guidance on issues of key important facing the industry will be invaluable as we look to build out ‘All In’work on inclusion, as well as push forward with support for Ad Net Zero, to ensure our workforce is best-equipped to respond to the climate crisis. It is a crucial time for the industry, as we face many challenges in the form of upcoming Government legislation on gambling, along with a review into online advertising – all of this tempered with rising digital adspend.”
Alessandra Bellini said, “I’m delighted to join the Advertising Association as President. At a time when the industry is emerging from the pandemic and customer behaviour is evolving, responsible advertising has never been more important. It’s a privilege to represent members and I look forward to working with Stephen, Philippa and the team as we build on the fantastic work over the last few years and set an example on the issues that really matter.”
Keith Weed said, “Thank you to Stephen, the AA team and the advertising industry leaders for all they have done. At a time of such change, it was important to make real progress on the big issues and opportunities in the industry. I wish Alessandra all the very best for her Presidency and the mission to continue to build trust and responsible advertising.”
Bellini joined Tesco as chief customer officer in March 2017 and has previously worked for Unilever holding board-level positions in marketing and general management across Italy, Central and Eastern Europe and the USA.