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Irwin pulls pin after 15 years as ANZA head

Jeremy Irwin, the chief executive of the the Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA), has announced he will retire at the end of June. 

“Jeremy’s previous career in industry and as a consultant stood him in great stead in his work for ANZA,” says ANZA chairman Maurice Gunnell. “He’s made numerous submissions over the years to select committees, politicians and bureaucrats and has always enjoyed productive working relationships with industry organizations such as CAANZ and the ASA. Much of the success of New Zealand’s self-regulatory advertising regime can be attributed to Jeremy’s tenacity.”

Irwin has served as both chairman and board member of the Advertising Standards Authority and assisted in the development of a number of Advertising Codes of Practice, including Therapeutics, Food, Children and Liquor. He chaired the Pre-vetting Codes Consultative Committees for both Liquor and Therapeutics, successfully bringing together the concerns of public interest bodies and industry members into acceptable and workable codes.

He was also instrumental in gaining government acceptance of Direct to Consumer Advertising for prescription medicines and what started as a six month trial became a permanent feature of New Zealand’s marketplace. He also oversaw the development of the Therapeutic Advertising Pre-vetting System (TAPS), which now operates with three independent adjudicators.

He also further developed the Liquor Advertising Pre-vetting System (LAPS) and oversaw the extension of the system to cover Liquor Packaging and Promotions.

As obesity was recognised as a serious and costly health issue, he was responsible for driving a credible and proactive response by way of a Food Industry Accord. This met with vital approval from the Minister of Health, pre-empting government intervention and he facilitated the transition of the Accord into the Food Industry Group (FIG) with members covering the whole food advertising industry—agencies, media and food manufacturers and retailers. Jeremy chaired the group until stepping down from that role this month.

After June, Irwin expects to continue with select business consultancies and put a bit more emphasis on his lifestyle interests. ANZA expects to make an announcement about a replacement before then.

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