In the spotlight: ANDA Colombia’s Elizabeth Melo

I was born in… Barranquilla, a bustling Colombian seaport on the northern Caribbean Coast. I was raised there with my two sisters.

I studied to become a… lawyer and specialised in public administration and strategic communications. In addition, I also studied corporate social responsibility management and I have extensive experience in sustainability.

I started in the advertising/marketing industry back in 2007. What has changed over time is how brands and the industry overall have addressed the fact that consumers are more informed about products and brands than ever before. Consumers now have more bargaining power and influence as well as access to all sorts of products thanks to technological advancements.

My proudest career achievement… was having had the opportunity to work and learn from some of the greatest thought leaders and personalities in Colombia: Jose Antonio Ocampo, one of Colombia’s best economists, Mónica de Greiff, Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá and member of the Global Board of the ICC, and Carolina Barco, current ambassador of Colombia in France. This, and having chaired the UN Global Compact in the country, has led me to this journey and gave me the needed experience to represent ANDA Colombia and do what I do every day. Today I am proud to lead this association that brings together the industry towards more ethical and responsible advertising to build greater trust between brands and consumers.

Our priorities are… three things around advertising self-regulation:

1. Create a new system of ad self-regulation for Colombia and adapt international standards and best practices for the proposed Colombian Commission for Self-regulation in Commercial Communications (CCACC).
2. Enhance the quality and relevance of self-regulation to become a regional reference for best practice in Latin America and facilitate industry interaction with government and legislators.
3. Get consensus and buy-in from all industry stakeholders around the new advertising self-regulation organisation.

If I could change one thing about the industry today, it would be… the client-agency relationship. We need to find new ways of working between brands and agency partners, such as innovating the decision-making process and planning procedures fit for purpose for today's market conditions.

What most people don’t know about me is… I have been married for 26 years and I have two adult children of 19 and 23 years old. Also, I enjoy walking and playing golf!

Something about my country… Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world after Brazil. We have some of the most amazing landscapes, from beaches and plains, to jungles and mountains.

Want to know more about Elizabeth and ANDA Colombia? Get in touch with her here.

This is part of a series of monthly interviews with heads of national advertiser associations in WFA membership.