The Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has named former L’Oreal public affairs director Richard Casofsky as its director of public affairs.
Casofsky will assume responsibility for the IPA’s public affairs work from IPA legal and public affairs director, Richard Lindsay, who is retiring.
Starting tomorrow (1 July), Casofsky brings over 20 years’ experience as a senior government relations and corporate affairs leader, having held senior public affairs and corporate affairs roles at McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s, Heineken and L’Oréal, advising leadership teams on policy, regulation, corporate reputation and external affairs.
Throughout his career, Richard has worked on issues affecting advertisers and consumer brands, including advertising and marketing regulation, public health, sustainability and consumer policy. He has worked closely with government, devolved administrations, parliaments, regulators, membership organisations and industry stakeholders, as well as advertising and media agency partners, to support business, brand and reputation objectives.
In his IPA role, Richard will:
Shape policy and regulation: Actively monitor and respond to public consultations, help to shape policies in areas such as AI, social media and other ad-related policies.
Protect industry interests: Act as the key spokesperson for the interests of ad agencies in critical negotiations
Elevate industry reputation: Promote the value of the advertising and marketing sector to the wider economy, championing it as a growth-driver to policymakers and countering negative public narratives.
Engage with relevant stakeholders: Build relationships with key political figures, civil servants, and other influential audiences.
Casofsky said: “I’m delighted to be joining the IPA at such an important time for the agency sector. The UK’s agencies are a world-class creative and commercial success story, helping businesses, brands and organisations grow, innovate and connect with audiences.
“Having spent more than two decades representing major consumer brands, I’ve seen first-hand the value that agencies create for businesses, brands and the wider economy. I look forward to working with members, colleagues and stakeholders to help strengthen engagement with government, support the industry in navigating shared opportunities and challenges, and ensure the sector’s voice is heard on the issues that matter most.”
IPA director general Paul Bainsfair added: “Richard’s expertise and experience advising CEOs and boards in politically sensitive and infrastructure-critical sectors will be invaluable to the IPA and its members as the industry navigates increasing regulation and reform. His appointment also comes at a time when we need to continue to work with our cross-industry counterparts to assert the value and success of our industry to leading policymakers and government.”
The IPA’s role is: to advance the value, theory and practice of advertising, media and marketing communications; to promote best practice standards in these fields; and to ensure that the work it does will benefit the public, the wider business community and the national economy.
It has a reputation for thought leadership, best practice and continuous professional development and also provides core support and advisory services. Its membership base is predominantly made up of corporate members who employ over 25,000 staff. Based in the United Kingdom for over 100 years, IPA programmes can be found in more than 80 countries worldwide.
