Press release - September 2019

ADMA, IAPA, DGA and D+TC join ACS to bolster Australia’s global position in digital innovation, technology and data-driven business

Data-driven business today got a shot in the arm with leading data-driven associations,

D+TC (Digital + Technology Collective), and ADMA (Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising), IAPA (Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia), and DGA (Data Governance Australia), announcing they have been acquired by ACS (Australian Computer Society).

ACS is the professional association for Australia's technology sector with more than 45,000 across business, education, government and the community.

The move reinforces the growing importance of data to modern business and ensures those who work with data anywhere in the organisation, are supported by industry associations that understand the needs of technology, digital, governance, analytics and marketing.

On the announcement, Andrea Martens, ADMA CEO, said ADMA, IAPA, DGA and D+TC would now be able to expand their positions in the industry.

“In guiding the custodians of the data and technology systems that feed the data value chain, ACS is like a turbo charger for our associations that support the capture, storage, access, analysis, insights and action of data.

“This turbo-charging reinforces the marketer’s role as the revenue generation machine for business; increases the scale and velocity of analytics, insights and AI-led innovation and boosts focus on cybersecurity, storage and the ethics of data in business," said Martens.

With over 600 brands as members, ADMA, IAPA, DGA and D+TC are arguably the leading data-driven industry associations in Australia.

“By joining ACS, we have access to enhanced resources and facilities as well leading edge thinking and education in the IT sector that will only expand our position in the marketplace and give our members even more reasons to join,” said Martens.

“At ADMA, we continue to be focused on our role as the preeminent marketing industry association, renowned for enabling members, irrespective of industry or scale of enterprise, to unlock organisational growth and realise the potential of data-driven marketing.

“A close affiliation between ACS and IAPA also strengthens our ability to support the data engineers, analysts, scientists and data managers that drive greater speed to market on AI-led innovation,” said Martens.

Yohan Ramasundara, ACS President, believes the joining of the associations will enable ACS to move closer to achieving its vision: “We want to build a world-class Australian ICT sector and build capability within businesses and organisations to enhance the effective and innovative adoption of technology - whether that’s in the marketing, analytics, digital or governance area.

“Today, data and technology-driven solutions are paramount to business and customer success – and the best solutions come about when sectors work together to deliver improved customer outcomes.

“Together, we will now be able to leverage best practice and insights from each of the associations to drive data-driven industries forward - particularly through a more collaborative CMO – CIO/CDO relationship.

“Through these associations, we can also strengthen what we offer to our members through globally renowned education and events and specialist expertise in governance, data-driven marketing and analytics,” said Ramasundara.

For the data-driven associations, Martens confirmed it will be business as usual: “We have our AC&E Awards and AMY Awards celebrations and IAPA Advancing Analytics Conference coming up in October and our education curriculum, ADMA IQ, continues to build with new courses on offer every week.

“As part of our regulatory support, we are also very focused on ensuring we are capturing industry sentiment and providing an industry perspective in the ongoing ACCC DPI inquiry,” said Martens.

In the coming months, ADMA, IAPA, DGA and D+TC will join ACS at its headquarters in Barangaroo.

“We are very excited to work with the associations to broaden our own skillset and in turn, share our own expertise in ICT. We believe, by joining with these associations, we will be able to deliver some incredible benefits to members of each organisation,” said Ramasundara.