Enero Group’s Ian Ball officially named CEO
Ian Ball
Enero Group’s chief operating officer has officially been promoted to chief executive.
Ian Ball joined the group — which owns BMF, Hotwire and Orchard — at the beginning of the year as a replacement for outgoing CEO Brent Scrimshaw. He replaced Scrimshaw and reports directly to Enero’s chair, Ian Rowden.
The operating CEOs of Enero Group’s agencies — including BMF’s Steve McArdle and Orchard’s Wai Kwok — report to Ball.
While he took on the chief operating officer title, it was only a matter of time for him to be named CEO.
Ian Ball
Since joining, Enero Group said he has led a number of “significant initiatives”, including the successful refinancing of the business, key senior appointment across its agencies, and this week, the sale of OBMedia.
Announced yesterday, Enero Group sold its majority stake of OBMedia to turn its focus onto its better performing agencies. It has long been trying to sell the business, having first announced a “strategic review” in 2023.
OBMedia had been an underperforming part of the business for some time. Its model involves search traffic arbitrage, an area where multiple network layers obscure transparency and players are incentivised to manufacture traffic.
According to the ASX announcement, the sale was completed for a nominal amount and the FY25 financial report will reflect a non-cash loss on sale in the range of $14-16 million.
Ball has also played a central role in the development of Enero’s FY26 growth plan. He introduced a renewed focus on operational excellence, and identified opportunities for greater value creation across the group.
“Ian has made a substantial impact in a remarkably short period of time, stepping seamlessly into a complex leadership transition and immediately bringing clarity, structure and momentum to the business,” Rowden said in a release.
“From leading the successful refinancing of the Group to restructuring OBMedia, appointing new leadership, and aligning our agency teams around a clear plan for operational excellence and value creation, he has demonstrated the kind of strategic foresight and decisive execution that’s essential in today’s environment.”
The chairman said Ball’s ability to build strong relationships across the executive team, board and shareholder base has been equally critical.
“The board is confident that under Ian’s leadership, Enero is well positioned to deliver long-term growth and performance as we move into this next chapter,” he said.
The group has strategised to focus on its three award-winning agencies where it can “see the greatest potential”.
Ball said these agencies each have “distinct capabilities and shared ambition.”
“I’m honoured to take on the role of Group CEO and continue building on the strong foundations we’ve put in place,” he said.
I’m excited to work with our leaders and teams globally to unlock the next phase of growth and value creation.”
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