Sydney, AUSTRALIA (November 11, 2026) – Success Publishing today announced the appointment of Anna Hannaford as Managing Director of Forbes Australia, handing her leadership of the business at a time of significant growth and strong business performance.
Hannaford is now responsible for the strategy and performance of the business, leading its commercial, events, marketing and operations teams. Founder Michael Lane, who along with Hannaford brought the Forbes licence to Australia more than four years ago, moves from Chief Executive to a non-executive Founder role.
As Chief Operating Officer since the launch of Forbes Australia in September 2022, Hannaford built the leadership team and helped establish a diversified business spanning print, digital, live events, membership and branded content.
The latest Roy Morgan readership data shows Forbes Australia’s print readership increased 27 per cent to 386,000 in the 12 months to June this year. Forbes Club, its membership community for high-net-worth business owners and investors, has grown 150 per cent in the past year.
New research from independent brand tracking platform Tracksuit shows Forbes Australia grew across several key measures during the 12 months to September 2026, with consumer awareness up six percentage points to 56 per cent and consideration, investigation, usage and preference each up five points.
Forbes Australia’s brand partners since launch have included a who’s who of
Australian business and global luxury including NAB Private Wealth, Salesforce, Lancôme, Cartier, Range Rover and Bentley. Its events this year all sold out, with waiting lists already building for 2027, and 60 per cent of revenue now comes from outside traditional advertising.
Michael Lane said: “Anna has been instrumental in shaping the business from day one. She has the vision and the commercial instinct to take Forbes Australia into its next stage of growth, and I’m confident that under her leadership it will become one of the country’s most forward-thinking publishers. I’ll now focus on the board and our long-term strategy. The business is in excellent hands.”
Hannaford said her priorities included “doubling down on what’s working”, led by the increased investment in local storytelling, the BrandVoice content studio, and opening new revenue streams. Several senior appointments will follow in the coming months.
“Other media companies chase scale. We went after quality and a deep relationship with our readers, and our partners have followed,” she said.
“When we launched, plenty of people told us print was the wrong bet. Four years later, our print readership continues to buck the global trend by growing almost every survey since launch and showing the highest year-on-year growth of any major magazine in the country. We’ve also taken Forbes Australia off the page and into the room, with events where our readers learn from each other and do business together. That’s where the relationship really deepens.
“When independent research shows your brand growing across every stage of the funnel – from awareness through to preference – that’s the market confirming the strategy,” Hannaford said.
Sarah O’Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Australia, said: “From day one, Anna has worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to keep the machine that is Forbes Australia running, growing and building into the business it is today.
“Look across our leadership team and you’ll see most of our directors have been with us since day one and that’s no accident. Anna has a rare gift for bringing people together and backing them to do their best work.
“Over four years we’ve built a brand that reaches Australians far beyond the pages of the magazine – in the room at our events, across digital and video, and in print. Anna has always championed the kind of in-depth storytelling our readers come to Forbes Australia for. I can’t think of anyone better placed to drive its next chapter.”
