Ogilvy UK’s finance director, Karla Smith, is to join the board of NABS, the support organisation for the advertising and media industry.
Smith, a qualified chartered accountant, brings with her nearly 20 years of commercial experience and will become a NABS board trustee and treasurer. She joins NABS as the organisation embarks upon a new strategic phase of investment to ensure its sustainability.
Demands for NABS’ services continue to rise and in the first quarter the body awarded double the number of grants to its beneficiaries in comparison to the same period last year.
“NABS does vital and life-changing work for our industry and its people,” said Smith.
“I’ve joined the board because I want to help NABS continue the invaluable support it gives to those in advertising and media. I’m looking forward to working with the team as NABS enters its next phase of development, reimagining the industry and providing smarter ways of serving it.”
As treasurer, Smith will be responsible for monitoring all aspects of the organisation’s financial operations and reporting. She will ensure NABS’ sustainability through the effective management of its fundraising and investment activities, and how it develops and delivers new services in response to industry demand.
Smith joins NABS chairman Simon Daglish, deputy managing director commercial ITV, on the board and replaces Andrew Harris, who steps down at the end of his term.
“Serving on the NABS Board has been a joy; it’s been great to see the organisation expand so much and to see how the industry is calling upon its services more and more,” said Harris, NABS’ treasurer and chair of the Finance and Investments Committee.
“NABS really is a wonderful asset to the industry. I wish the team all the best for the future.”
Diana Tickell, CEO of NABS, added: “I’d like to give a huge thanks to Andrew for his invaluable work on the NABS Board over the past three years. His brilliant financial leadership and broader business experience has helped to strengthen our financial strategy to the point where we are able to expand and develop our services.
“Andrew will be a hard act to follow but I’m hugely excited to be welcoming Karla on board. Karla has a mass of first-class financial expertise, coupled with a first-hand understanding of the advertising and media industry. Karla also espouses all of NABS’ values and as such she brings so much value to the role of Treasurer.
“I’m looking forward to working with her as NABS enters a new strategic phase.”
