'Tremendous growth potential': Noel Cook to lead Wildstone expansion into Australia

Wildstone, a company owning outdoor media infrastructure across the UK and Europe, has confirmed its plans to expand into Australia, led by oOh!media's co-founder.

After acquiring and developing over 5,000 static and digital OOH assets across Europe since 2010, Wildstone’s Australian expansion sees the business plan to acquire existing OOH portfolios and individual sites, develop new locations, and convert existing static sites to digital. 

Digitisation of static OOH sites is a key priority for Wildstone’s Australian launch. According to WARC, 70% of Australian OOH spend is already focused on digital and is forecast to grow by 14%. 

Damian Cox, founder and CEO of Wildstone, said the expansion into Australia “marks a significant milestone" for the company.

“The market offers tremendous growth potential, particularly in the digitisation of existing sites.”

Wildstone has appointed Noel Cook to be the managing director of The Australian operations. He will be responsible for establishing and expanding Wildstone’s footprint across the region. Cook has over 30 years of experience in Australia’s OOH sector, including as a co-founder of oOh!Media. 

Cook has also undertaken over 30 outdoor advertising M&A transactions and has served as a board member of Australia’s Outdoor Media Association. 

Wildstone said the company was attracted to the Australian market due to its double-digit growth, digital revenue increases, and its potential as a bridge towards the company’s expansion into other APAC markets. 

Cox added: “We have long admired Noel's work and are thrilled to have him join our team. His exceptional pedigree in the world of OOH and DOOH will be instrumental in helping us achieve all the goals we have set." 

Cook said of his new role, "Wildstone’s track record, leadership and expertise in Europe speak for themselves, and there is immense growth potential for their world-class platform in the Australian market. I’m particularly excited to help them deliver the benefits of digitisation to Australia, which will help maximise opportunities for landlords and media buyers across the country." 

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Top image: Noel Cook