CRA Appoints Lizzie Young as CEO

Lizzie Young is the new CEO at Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA).

An experienced media and tech executive, Young joins the trade body from social media specialist WeAre8, where she most recently served as CEO APAC & global growth officer.

With effect from Aug. 7, 2024, Young succeeds Ford Ennals, who took the reins at CRA a little over two years ago and resigned in April.

Previously, Young held the role as managing director – local markets, group marketing and commercial partnerships at free-to-air network Nine, where she logged 12 years.

She comes to commercial radio trade association with over a decade in the audio industry, including a seven-year stint at GWR Radio/GCap (now Global Radio) in the U.K., serving as commercial programming controller and head of agency sales, and four years at Austereo in Brisbane and Sydney in various promotions, marketing and integration roles.

Established in 1930, CRA now boasts 260 members, representing 100% of commercial radio licensees on air.

The peak body has something of a frosty relationship with the recorded music industry, and has locked horns on more than one occasion on the issue of royalties. 

Joan Warner, previous long-serving CEO of CRA (formerly known as Commercial Radio Australia) raised eyebrows when, in 2023, she began consulting on a campaign which pushes for radio networks to pay more money for the music they play.

In recent months, ARIA/PPCA and CRA have been at loggerheads on the longstanding radio “caps,” which limit the licence fees broadcasters must pay for the use of sound recordings on radio.

That contentious issue is expected to rumble on with another review after the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs published its report, and recommended the Senate does not pass a Bill that would tweak the Copyright Act.