Outfront CEO Nick Brien Named OAAA Board Chairman
2026-10-22 · via Digital Signage Today
Outfront Media CEO Nick Brien has been named chairman of the Out of Home Advertising Association's Board of Directors, according to a press release from the OAAA. He succeeds former Clear Channel Outdoor CEO Scott Wells and will serve out the remainder of Wells' term.
For digital signage and DOOH operators, OAAA leadership matters because the association sets the policy and advocacy agenda for the broader out-of-home category, including the digital billboards, place-based networks and programmatic DOOH platforms that increasingly overlap with traditional static signage. A change at the top of the board can signal where the trade group's priorities are headed, particularly around measurement standards, programmatic buying and how out-of-home competes for ad budgets against other media.
Brien had already been serving on OAAA's executive committee before taking the chairman role. The release describes him as bringing more than four decades of experience across advertising, media, technology and marketing, though it does not detail specific prior roles beyond his current position at Outfront, one of the largest out-of-home advertising companies in the U.S. with a large footprint of digital displays in transit systems, billboards and street furniture.
Wells had chaired the OAAA board since March 2023 and had been a board member since 2015. The release does not say why Wells is stepping down before the end of his term or what prompted the transition now.
Anna Bager, president and CEO of OAAA, said in the release that Brien's experience positions him to help the association deepen relationships with the marketing and agency community as the medium evolves. Brien, for his part, pointed to out-of-home's relevance in what he called a fragmented media landscape, saying the format offers scale and innovation alongside consumer trust.
The announcement is light on specifics about what Brien plans to prioritize as chairman. It does not mention any policy initiatives, measurement standards work, or programmatic DOOH efforts he intends to push forward, nor does it specify a term length for his chairmanship beyond finishing out Wells' remaining time on the board.
For digital signage companies that sell into out-of-home networks, whether through hardware, content management or ad-serving technology, OAAA's direction under new leadership is worth tracking since the association's advocacy work shapes how out-of-home is measured and sold against other advertising channels.ids industry it operates in.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from Digital Signage Today for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Outfront CEO Nick Brien has been named chairman of the Out of Home Advertising Association's Board of Directors.
Brien succeeds former Clear Channel Outdoor CEO Scott Wells and will serve the remainder of Wells' term, according to a press release .
The OAAA is a national trade association representing the out-of-home advertising industry.
Brien, who currently serves on OAAA's executive committee, brings more than four decades of leadership experience spanning advertising, media, technology and marketing.
"Nick brings a unique perspective to this role, with deep experience across every corner of the advertising industry and a clear understanding of the opportunity ahead for out of home," Anna Bager, president and CEO of OAAA, said in the release. "As our industry continues to grow and evolve, his leadership will help us build on this momentum, strengthen our relationships with the broader marketing community, and advance the priorities that matter most to our members, brand marketers, and agency leaders."
Wells has served as chairman of OAAA's Board of Directors since March 2023 and has been a member of the board since 2015.
"I am honored to take on this role at a defining moment for our industry," Brien said in the release. "In a fragmented media world, the value of out of home has never been clearer. It delivers the scale and innovation marketers expect with the trust and real-world presence consumers value."
Cree LED offers one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of application-optimized LED chips and components, leading the industry in performance and reliability. Our team delivers best-in-class technology and breakthrough solutions for focused applications in high power and mid-power general lighting, specialty lighting and video screens.
Get the latest news and resources from Digital Signage Today.