MediaWorks confirms new chief executive
Acting MediaWorks CEO decamps for Spark. With special feature audio.
MediaWorks has officially announced its new chief executive is Michael Anderson, the Australian tipped last week to take on the role.
In a statement, the company says Mr Anderson will take up that role – and a seat at the board table – on August 29.
He is chairman of Oztam and oOH! Media, and non-executive director of Fairfax Media.
Before that he was chief executive of Austereo – one of Australia's largest commercial radio groups – for seven years, a period during which he led the company to improved revenues and audience share. Before that, he served as the company’s group director of sales.
"On behalf of the board, I am thrilled to welcome Michael to MediaWorks,” MediaWorks chairman Rod McGeoch says in the statement.
“This is a pivotal time for the media industry and with many years of high profile media experience – as a chief executive, a board director and in sales – Michael brings the perfect credentials to lead MediaWorks through these dynamic times."
For his part, Mr Anderson is quoted as saying that “MediaWorks is a company with strong brands and a strong history in New Zealand. With the global disruption in media continuing, this is an excellent time to join and lead MediaWorks through a difficult but exciting period.”
Meanwhile, MediaWorks’ chief financial officer David Chalmers – who has been acting chief executive since former CEO Mark Weldon’s abrupt departure in May and had been rumoured to be in the running for the permanent position – will be leaving the business to take on the role of chief financial officer of Spark NZ.
A statement from Spark only gives Mr Chalmers' start date as "later this year."
Mr Chalmers will succeed Jolie Hodson, who – as flagged earlier in the year – is moving from her current CFO role to become chief of Spark Digital (formerly Gen-i).
April also saw the departure of Spark's head of digital Tim Miles and ventures unit boss Rod Snodgrass.
Follow NBR on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for the latest news and free on-demand audio from NBR Radio.
Nick Grant
Tue, 02 Aug 2016
Tue, 02 Aug 2016
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
MediaWorks confirms new chief executive
60406