30 from 30. The people who have helped shape the industry and Campaign Brief: Linda Wayman

For Campaign Brief WA’s 30th anniversary, over the thirty days of June we’re looking back on 30 people who helped shape the industry and us.

Linda Wayman joined Austereo in 2002, taking over over top rating radio stations Mix 94.5 and 92.9 from Gary Roberts. They were big shoes to fill but over the past 12 years Wayman has done it with aplomb and forged her own place in the annals of WA advertising history.

Amongst a huge list of achievements, she led Mix 94.5 to an Australian-record 100 consecutive surveys at #1, achieved in 2012. The run started a couple of years before Wayman joined but she kept it strongly on course for the next ten.

She also oversaw a smooth transition when Southern Cross bought Austereo, the change happening with barely a murmur here and Wayman continued business as usual.

More recently, some significant on-air line-up changes – including the departure of the legendary Fred Botica – have been handled with minimal disruption.

Besides the success of SCA, Wayman is a committed supporter of the local industry. She has maintained the Radio Writers Award and expanded it to include a prize for the winning client. Mix94.5 and 92.9 are ongoing sponsors of our Campaign Brief Awards – included the coveted Advertiser of the Year award – and lend valuable support to the PADC and Youngbloods.  On top of all that, Wayman is one of the state’s leading advocates for women in business, passionate about inspiring females to aspire to leadership roles.

Wayman was Campaign Brief’s Ad Person of the Year for 2011 and Southern Cross Austereo has won Campaign Brief’s Media Organisation of the Year award three times. Wayman is always much more inclined to acknowledge the efforts of her team than her own personal achievements, but that team readily acknowledges Wayman’s inspirational leadership as a key reason for their success.

As much as anything, we love Wayman’s sheer joy at being part of this industry. Accepting her Ad Person of the Year award at the Oasis Ball, she gave a rousing speech pointing out how fortunate we all are to be part of it. Amen to that.