ASA Director General is new EASA Chairman

15 October 2004

The Director General of the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been elected Chairman of the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) - the single voice of advertising self-regulation for Europe.

Christopher Graham, who leads the UK's self-regulatory body for non-broadcast advertising, was appointed at EASA's AGM in Brussels last Friday (28 March). He succeeds Jose Domingo Gomez Castallo, Director of the Spanish self-regulatory body Autocontrol, who has been Chairman of EASA for the past three years, and will build on his work to promote and support self-regulation across Europe.

Other officers elected at the AGM were Prisca Ancion-Kors, Director General of the Self-Regulatory Organisation in the Netherlands, as Vice-Chairman and David Mahon, Secretary General of the European Federation of Magazine Publishers, as Treasurer.

'It is an honour and a challenge to be asked to take the leadership of EASA over the crucial next two years,' said Mr Graham. 'Our priorities must be to ensure that self-regulation is effective across the Single Market, to prepare for the accession of the applicant countries and to dialogue constructively with policymakers over legislative threats to advertising freedom.'

'EASA has to show that self-regulation is the best way of dealing with the challenges of social responsibility, cross-border marketing and new media - in the interests of credible advertising, the protection of European consumers and fair competition across the Single Market,' Mr Graham said.

One of Mr Graham's first engagements will be a meeting with EU Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner David Byrne on 2 April when EASA is due to make a presentation on the ongoing work of EASA to harmonise self-regulation 'best practice' across the Europe.


Mr Graham paid tribute to his predecessor Mr Gomez Castallo at a presentation dinner on 27 March.

'Under Jose Domingo's Chairmanship, EASA has been transformed. 'New' EASA is a close working partnership of self-regulatory bodies and representatives of the advertising industry, committed to Common Principles and Standards of Best Practice,' Mr Graham said. 'With my colleagues, I shall do my best to carry forward the work Jose-Domingo set in motion - to make sure that advertising self-regulation meets the challenges of the period ahead.'

Mr Graham has been Director General of the London-based ASA for the past three years and was elected a Vice-Chairman of EASA a year ago. He is Chairman of EASA's Self-Regulatory Committee and Best Practice Task Force, established to drive EASA's Best Practice model for effective self-regulation in all Member States.

The UK's ASA is one of the most well-established and respected advertising standards bodies. The ASA was a founder member of EASA.

A former broadcast journalist, Mr Graham was a senior manager at the BBC before joining the ASA in April 2000. He is married and lives in Bath. Click here to visit the EASA website