Stephen Woodford

Stephen was appointed CEO of the Advertising Association in September 2016. The Advertising Association’s mission is to promote and protect the role, rights and responsibilities of advertising and all the key media owners and trade bodies are members of the AA. Prior to joining, Stephen held management roles in three agencies (Leo Burnett, WCRS/Engine and DDB/adam&eveDDB) He also currently chairs youth marketing agency Livity, a social purpose-driven business that seeks to transform young peoples’ lives, especially from BAME backgrounds. He is a founder and director of U, a digital challenger to conventional banks. Stephen is a past President of NABS and serves on the board of the History of Advertising Trust. He was IPA President (2003-05) where he led both their first ethnic diversity initiative and transformed its professional qualifications for new industry entrants, which over 15,000 people have now sat and passed in the UK and around the world.