Forbes Australia Appoints Anna Hannaford Managing Director
Success Publishing has named its chief operating officer to lead the Forbes Australia title as founder Michael Lane steps back to a non-executive role.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Media
Success Publishing has appointed Anna Hannaford as Managing Director of Forbes Australia, where she has been Chief Operating Officer since September 2022. Founder Michael Lane has moved from Chief Executive to a non-executive Founder role.
Why it matters
The move places the executive who helped build the title's print, digital, events and membership operations in charge of the business. Several further senior appointments are expected in the coming months.
Forbes Australia's print readership rose 27% to 386,000 in the 12 months to June 2026, while the title reaches more than 479,000 Australians monthly across all platforms. Sixty per cent of revenue now comes from outside traditional advertising, according to the company, and the source does not independently verify these figures.
The players
Success Publishing
Success Publishing is the Australian publishing company that holds the Forbes Australia licence and made the leadership appointment.
Anna Hannaford
Anna Hannaford is the Forbes Australia executive who helped establish the title's print, digital, events, membership and branded content operations.
Michael Lane
Michael Lane is the founder of Forbes Australia who moved from Chief Executive to a non-executive Founder role.
The details
Hannaford has been Chief Operating Officer since September 2022 and oversees the business's strategy and performance, leading commercial, events, marketing and operations teams. Lane and Hannaford brought the Forbes licence to Australia more than four years ago, and all of the title's events this year sold out while Forbes Club membership grew 150% over the past year.
Timeline
September 2022: Forbes Australia launched and Hannaford became Chief Operating Officer.
June 2026: The 12-month print readership measurement period ended.
September 2026: The Tracksuit brand tracking measurement period ended.
11 November 2026: Success Publishing announced Hannaford's appointment as Managing Director.
Market Landscape
Forbes Australia operates as a licensed local edition of the global Forbes brand, with its bi-monthly print magazine and franchises including Australia's 50 Richest and 30 Under 30 lists. The leadership change comes as the title diversifies income beyond advertising into events, membership and branded content.
For readers, the change is unlikely to affect the magazine or subscriptions directly in the near term. The growth in events and membership suggests the title's paid offerings are expanding, which may matter to people considering attending events or joining the Forbes Club.
The takeaway
Local editions of global brands increasingly rely on events, membership and branded content rather than advertising alone. The Forbes Australia figures show how that diversification can be measured, though the company's own data should be read with that caveat in mind.
What happens next
Several senior appointments are expected to follow in the coming months, according to the company.
Further reading
For more on how local titles are reshaping their businesses, see the Media section.
