CRA Appoints Nine Growth Executive to Lead 2030 Strategy
Commercial Radio & Audio names Nine's growth executive Helena O'Dowd as head of commercial strategy to drive the 2030 Strategic Plan. How traditional audio broadcasters compete against streaming pl...
Commercial Radio & Audio has appointed Helena O'Dowd as its new head of commercial strategy, tasking her with delivering the industry body's 2030 Strategic Plan focused on audience and revenue growth across Australia's commercial audio broadcasting sector.
O'Dowd joins CRA from Nine, where she spent six years as director of growth and retention before departing in November 2025 following a restructuring of the company's marketing division. The appointment was announced ahead of CRA's annual HEARD conference in Sydney on February 18, 2026.
Multi-Platform Growth Experience
At Nine, O'Dowd managed growth strategies across a diverse portfolio including 9Network, 9Now, Nine Publishing, Nine Radio, Stan, Domain, Drive, and Pedestrian. Her work extended to major sports partnerships with organizations including the NRL, Tennis Australia, Rugby Australia, and the Australian Olympic Committee.
Mission MediaOne notable initiative under O'Dowd's leadership was Nine's April 2025 partnership with oOh!media, which extended 9News content across 74 large-format digital billboards in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The partnership delivers over 50 state-based news updates daily, demonstrating the cross-platform audience expansion strategies she developed.
Before Nine, O'Dowd accumulated over 20 years of marketing and media experience across senior positions at OMD Australia (three years), Slingshot (18 months), and Mediacom (three years).
Commercial Radio's Strategic Shift
The newly created head of commercial strategy role reflects CRA's broader transformation as traditional broadcast media repositions against streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube. The 2030 Strategic Plan targets revenue expansion through simplified advertiser purchasing platforms, improved measurement tools, and positioning commercial audio to compete effectively in platform-dominated markets.
"Understanding of the consumer marketing landscape, as well as commercial realities, makes her exceptionally well placed to understand the challenges facing marketers today," said Lizzie Young, CEO of Commercial Radio & Audio.
The role features what Young described as "a dedicated customer focus in market" that complements CRA's existing activities supporting Australia's commercial audio broadcasting sector members.
Industry-Wide Collaboration
O'Dowd emphasized the collaborative environment she's stepping into at CRA. "Excited to step into the world of CRA where collaboration and appetite amongst the industry and members to move at pace has been overwhelmingly positive, ensuring the future is bright for the category," she said.
The appointment signals radio's structural shift toward market-facing commercial development rather than purely operational functions. O'Dowd will be responsible for delivering industry-wide initiatives that drive both audience retention and revenue diversification as legacy broadcast sectors modernize their commercial approaches through data-driven measurement and enhanced advertiser offerings.
Her experience managing growth across Nine's television, publishing, radio, streaming, and digital properties positions her to address the commercial realities facing traditional audio broadcasters competing in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
Want to stay up-to-date on the stories shaping Asia's media, marketing, and comms industry? Subscribe to Mission Media for exclusive insights, campaign deep-dives, and actionable intel.
