FEDMA announces the appointment of new leadership team

Chris Combemale, CEO of the UK’s DMA Group, and Dr Sachiko Scheuing, European privacy officer of Acxiom, have been named co-Chairs of FEDMA, The Federation of European Direct and Interactive Marketing. Combemale replaces Diana Janssen, director of the Dutch DMA, and joins the re-elected Scheuing in leading the organisation through a period of continued change for the industry, with a focus on data privacy and key consumer issues that are affecting the marketing discipline.

The new leadership team will help to guide FEDMA through the challenging times ahead, from the new laws to which the industry must adhere, to the prospect of Brexit. Marketers across Europe and beyond will be getting to grips with the implementation of GDPR and the soon to be confirmed ePrivacy Regulation. In the midst of this the UK will be finalising its departure from the European Union, while also ensuring that despite Brexit the UK remains part of the European Digital Single Market.

At the start of his term, Combemale said: “In an era of augmented intelligence and machine learning, the technology at the disposal of marketers is more powerful than ever. But with powerful technology comes great responsibility and marketers must ensure they create the ethical frameworks in which their technology can operate. As marketers, we’re no longer just responsible for short term sales and long term brand loyalty, but the custodians of the technology that is powering the forth industrial revolution. In this new environment, marketers must act with a responsibility to society, not just to their company.”

As her tenure continues, Dr Scheuing said: “It is FEDMA’s mission to ensure the industry operates with an ethical code that ensures the strategic opportunities of big data can be deployed to customers, the economy and society as a whole. We will continue to advocate for the right legislative balance between privacy and innovation, not just one or the other. We will bring together policy makers, legislators and regulators to share the views and ensure the right balance is struck, enabling Europe to remain at the heart of the global data-driven economy.”

In addition to the appointment of the co-Chair’s, FEDMA members also elected new board members, including:

• Axel Tandberg, CEO at Tandberg & Partners AB
• Fabrizio Vigo, CEO of Consodata S.p.A. and Chair of DMA Italia
• Ivan Vandermeersch, Secretary General at bdma
• Joachim Fauth, Legal Director at Reader’s Digest Verlag Das Beste GmbH
• Marion Thomas, Senior Public Policy Manager at Deutsche Post DHL Group
• Martin Nitsche, Managing Partner at Solveta GmbH and President of the Deutscher Dialogmarketing Verband e. V.

The new FEDMA board has also asked Imelda Vital, government affairs manager Europe at Amway, who is a long standing board member and former treasurer, to remain as a special advisor.

Dr. Scheuing and Combemale also thanked all the previous board members for their efforts and hard work through a significant period of change for the industry. In particular, they thanked departing co-chair Diana Janssen for her leadership and driving FEDMA forward through internal changes in recent years.