Vale Jo Libline ~ much-loved and respected member of the Australian ad industry
It is with immense sadness that Advertising Council Australia (ACA) announces the passing of Jo Libline – a much-loved and respected member of the local advertising industry.
Libline had been fighting illness for about 18 months but lost her battle earlier this month and passed away peacefully.
Libline was the driving force behind signature events such as The Effies, The Work Behind The Work, AWARD Awards, and more recently This Way Up: Australia’s Advertising Festival of Creativity.
She made many friends over the 15 years she spent with ACA and took enormous pride in her work, always making it look easy. Yet overseeing everything from entries and judges to venues, presenters and more took a huge amount of work, tenacity and diplomacy.
The CEO of ACA, Tony Hale, said: “We are all devastated. Quite simply, Jo loved the industry. The Effie and AWARD communities were like family to her. She was admired for her unflappable professionalism and loved for her colourful, wicked sense of humour. Her contribution was incomparable. She knew just about everyone in agency land, film production companies and the marketing world. Her absence leaves a void for everyone.”
Libline’s contribution has been recognised by so many of her colleagues and friends, whose messages have been warmly received by both her family and the ACA team.
At an appropriate time, a tribute will be organised to acknowledge her friendship, professionalism and her outstanding and far-reaching contribution to the industry.
In the meantime, our thoughts are with her family and friends.
31 Comments
This is a tragedy, Jo was the heart beat of Award and The Effies. A brilliant women who loved the industry and worked tirelessly for us all behind the scenes. To say she’ll be sorely missed is an understatement. Cx
Absolutely devastating loss.
Jo was a bloody joy to work with. Bursting with ideas, solutions and endless energy for whatever needing doing.
And funny AF.
I will miss her terribly.
Much love to her family, friends and colleagues on the Adcouncil & across the wider industry. Vale Jo. XXX
This is seriously gutting.
As has been mentioned above, Jo was really brilliant to work with….the glue that pulled so much stuff together.
She was always totally committed to the cause, with a super can-do approach and a wicked sense of humour that reminded me how much fun it is to work in this industry.
Really really REALLY going to miss bumping into her at Infinity Bakery in Paddington in the mornings…her smile/laugh/cheeky quip always made my day.
TBH it’s hard to articulate how awesome she was in a few words on a blog…all I can say is she was the real deal.
Sending love and big hugs to all her family, friends and colleagues. xxx
You will be missed Jo.
You certainly were a force to be reckoned with and the AWARD Community are better for the limitless contributions you made.
You were passionate, driven to excel and had a heart as big as any I have seen. Thank you Jo for everything – we are all better off for having worked with you.
Wilf
Jo was amazing, always helpful, always upbeat and excited and it was a huge pleasure to know her. A real loss to the industry and the world. Thoughts are with her family.
N
Such terrible news. Jo was an absolute rock star. One of the most professional, capable and down right hilarious people I’ve had the pleasure of working with in this industry. She helped transform the Comms Council/ACA’s event and awards programs to what they are today and did so with graciousness, good humour and the occasional moan! I’ll miss her insane laugh and friendship. RIP Kiwi pocket rocket.
Jo was an absolute rock and always the voice of reason from my brief time at AWARD.
Loved every minute of working with her….and her mischievous sense of humour.
Condolences to her family and friends.
Oggy
I’m so very sad to hear this.
Jo was always incredibly helpful to all of us in the west, and to me personally.
Her passing is a great loss to the industry and to everyone who knew Jo.
Deepest condolences to friends and family.
How awful. Jo was always such a joy.
What a terrible loss to the industry and the world…
My condolences to her family and friends.
Such sad news. Everyone working in Australian advertising has had their career bettered by the tireless work of Jo. Much love to her family x
So sad to hear this news. Jo was so good to us – such a welcoming and positive influence in an industry that doesn’t excel in those areas.
Horrible, horrible news. Vale Jo. One of the greats.
What an awesome lady Jo was. Always a joy and I shared many a good laugh with her over the years. You will be missed Jo… sending love and strength to your family x
Jo was like the great BP campaign.. a quiet achiever. Making those she worked for over the years look good, all with a delightful sense of humour and ‘get it done’ drive.
I know my very good friend Gawen, who is also battling at the moment will be extremely sad also. Vale Jo.
Richard G.
Farewell Jo. You were the best of us. Kind, patience and interested. xx
What a loss. Rest peacefully Jo. You will be remembered and missed. x
So sad. Rest in peace Jo – time spent with you made my days at TCC bright. You will be missed x.
So sad to hear this news, Jo was the heart and soul of the Effies and so much more in our industry. A beautifully kind person, she is going to be deeply missed by many.
So very sad to read this news. You will be missed very much Jo. Sending much love to your family at this incredibly sad time 💔
I enjoyed every minute of my 14 years working with Jo on the Effies. I loved her as a friend and I admired her for her discipline, her integrity, her concern for people, her disdain for pomposity and her frustration with those who did not do as they promised. I will miss Jo as I know many others will.
Absolutely devastating news. Jo was such an incredibly amazing person and gave so much to the industry. She was such a beacon of energy and her commitment to the industry was unwavering… ❤️❤️❤️
I’m devastated. Had no idea Jo was sick and can’t believe she has gone. She was brilliant – funny, efficient, down to earth, treated everyone the same. I’m truly upset to hear the news. Condolences to her family, she truly was an advertising icon.
What a legend Jo is. My heart goes out to all those at the ad council and to her immediate family. Jo, I hope you’re reading this outpouring of love and affection and also …. I’m sorry for asking for all those extensions. Thankyou for granting them. We will miss all of you … your wit, your firmness, your empathy deployed at in just the right dose at just the right time knowing full well we were frazzled by data and pesky word limits every time we called you. Grazie Mille. Un abbraccio forte. Xx
This is such sad news. Jo was fielding calls and doing the do (and sometimes even allowing entry extensions) during her period of illness. Not that we would have known. What a wonderful, helpful and brilliant person. My thoughts go out to her family and loved ones.
A heartbreaking start to the year. Jo represented the best of us. She was an absolute pleasure to deal with and a remarkable human being. I am shattered.
Jo – thank you for putting up with my endless emails and questions. And thanks for making me love the industry a little more with every chat we had. I’m so sorry that we never made that lunch happen at the end of last year.
Rest in peace, my dear friend.
What sad news. Jo was brilliant and so generous with her time and effort and a consistent driving force behind so much that was good in the Effies and ACA. This is such gutting news. She will be greatly missed and thoughts with family and loved ones.
Jo was always such a pleasure to deal with. Smart, professional and fun. You always loved seeing Jo’s name pop up on your phone or email. Thoughts with all Jo’s loved ones.
As quick with her wit as she was with her smile, Jo was great company and a great asset to the industry. I’m terribly sorry to hear this news. Jo has done so much for so many over the years. She will be missed.
Jo was an absolute legend and I can’t think of the Effie’s without thinking of her. Boundless energy, a big smile and her sheer generosity of spirit will form my lasting memories of a wonderful woman. 💔
In absolute shock. Jo was incredible to work with on the APMA Awards when I was Chair and when we merged with the council. She was an industry rock star. She was the best and doubt anyone could ever fill her shoes. Rest in peace Jo x
Devastating news. My heart goes out to everyone who loves Jo. Rest in Peace, Jo. And Thank you. You’ve left an unforgettable mark.