Tom George, CEO of the UK’s cross-media measurement initiative Origin, has stepped down from his role.
George has been replaced by Isba director of media Steve Chester, who will take up the role of interim managing director while Isba and Origin leadership searches for a permanent successor.
Chester currently holds positions on the boards of several joint-industry currencies (JICs), including Barb, UKOM and Rajar, as well as other industry initiatives such as the Joint Industry Committee for Regional Media Research (JICREG) and the Coalition for Privacy Compliance in Advertising (CPCA).
Former Isba director general Phil Smith, who has been advising Origin since November 2025, will continue to do so.
The future of Isba and Origin — with Simon Michaelides and Phil Smith
George has worked as Origin CEO since 2022. Before joining, he held senior positions at a variety of media agencies, including CEO of GroupM UK, CEO of Wavemaker UK (formerly MEC), and managing director of Zenith UK.
During his time at Origin, he led the project from a concept developed under Isba, the trade body for advertisers, to a live platform available to all brand advertisers.
Interestingly, Origin’s Companies House page shows George resigned as a director of Origin on 31 March, 2025.
Isba director general Simon Michaelides praised George’s “drive and determination” in overseeing Origin’s development over the past seven years.
“Following a year of successful trading, Origin has more than 60 participating brands with a pipeline of other brands and media owners looking to come on board,” Michaelides said. “The time is therefore right to re-organise and set Origin up for success as it looks to rapidly expand.”
George commented that he joined Origin “with a brief to get it to market,” which he fulfilled upon the official launch of Origin in July of last year.
“Not only are more advertisers now using the platform, but Origin is demonstrating significant improvements in effectiveness and efficiency for its users with significant ROI gains,” George said. “It was an honour to have led the programme, and I look forward to watching it continue its successful growth path.”
Origin’s cross-media measurement solution has landed: A view from the bridge
