The Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) today announced the promotion of Matt Barnes to senior vice president of supplier sales and marketing, responsible for the vision and growth of ASI’s supplier sales and marketing activities, including supplier membership and ASI’s digital and print advertising and marketing offerings.

Matt Barnes, ASI

“I’ve known Matt for 15 years and have always been impressed by his diligence in nurturing the relationships that are so essential to success in this industry,” said Timothy M. Andrews (@Tim_Andrews_ASI), president and chief executive officer of ASI. “Matt is metrics driven, creative, innovative and a great leader. He is well-known and well-regarded throughout the industry and his energy and professionalism are widely recognized and acknowledged among key suppliers and distributors alike.”

Barnes will report to Andrews and join the ASI President’s Council. He is replacing Gene Rahill, who is leaving the organization.

Barnes joined ASI in July of 2014 as vice president of supplier sales, managing a large base of supplier accounts. In 2015, he was promoted to vice president of publishing and media services, responsible for the print and digital strategies of Counselor, Advantages and Wearables magazines, ASI’s family of catalogs, and all other content-oriented products and services.

In recognition of his management skills, Barnes was named ASI’s Rising Star Manager of the Year in 2017.

Before joining ASI, Barnes worked for the Cohn Family for three years as president of its Australian business and before that as group president and publishing director at North American Publishing Company, where he led its promotional products division for 14 years.