Foan Steps Down as JICWEBS Executive Chairman

Richard Foan, Executive Chairman of the UK's Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS), has decided to step down at the end of 2018 - twenty years since the foundation of the original committee. He will remain involved in the media industry through advisory and non-executive roles.

JICWEBS was formed in 1999 by trade bodies the Association of Online Publishers (AOP), IAB UK, News Media Association, ISBA and the IPA, to define best practice and standards for online ad trading. Last year, JICWEBS changed from a part-time entity into a limited company operating full-time, as it stepped up efforts to tackle online ad fraud and promote brand safety.

Until last year, Foan (pictured) spent more than 30 years at media verification company ABC, where he latterly served as MD of the ABCe digital auditing arm, enabling UK companies to have their traffic data certified to industry agreed standards. In addition, he spent more than eighteen years as Chairman of the International IFABC.org Digital Standards Group. Latterly he forged a partnership between JICWEBS and the US-based Trusted Accountability Group (TAG) to bring consistency and transparency to the UK and US markets.

Since the creation of the JICWEBS committee, Foan has been involved in delivering standards such as the DTSG Brand Safety Good Practice Principles; and at the request of the four industry bodies (ISBA, IPA, IAB and AOP) he formed the standalone 'not-for-profit' company, JICWEBS Ltd. John Montgomery, GroupM Global EVP of Brand Safety, comments: 'Richard deserves recognition for driving JICWEBS since its inception and ensuring the agenda moves forward. While there is more to do, the platform and the team he has built stand as a great model that media industry professionals can all benefit from'.

The JICWEBS Board (with Morgan Rutherford Associates) are now considering internal and
external applications for the new role of CEO/MD of JICWEBS Ltd, with Foan available to
support as a consultant.

Web site: www.jicwebs.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.