Worner Urged To Quit Sydney Swans Board As Fallout From Affair Continues

Worner Urged To Quit Sydney Swans Board As Fallout From Affair Continues

Seven West Media CEO, Tim Worner, may have the full support of its board following the ongoing fallout from his extra-marital affair with employee Amber Harrison, however, it appears he’s not going to get through this unscathed.

There are now repeated calls for Worner to stand aside as board member of the Sydney Swans. Many believe his ongoing presence as a board member is inappropriate following the AFL’s concerted – and very successful – push into the women’s game. Worner is a relatively new member to the Swan’s board and his elevation happened after the affair with Harrison concluded.

Seven, of course, is also the AFL’s chief broadcast partner.

Things could take a nastier turn for Worner tomorrow when he presents the company’s annual results to shareholders and media. Anything less than numbers in the black will renew calls for him to stand aside.

In a column piece in today’s Fairfax Media, commentator Caroline Wilson has called Worner’s position on the Swans’ board “untenable”and cited a long held view at the club that “nobody is bigger than the football club.” It is believed club officials will meet with Worner in the coming days.

Wilson wrote: “The Seven Network’s handling of the Worner affair is a corporate issue for Kerry Stokes and his board but at a time when the AFL is holding its players, coaches and officials to higher-than-ever behavioural standards surely club board members also must remain accountable.”

The affair was between consenting adults, Wilson noted, but the damage to the Swans and the AFL wasn’t about the sex scandal but from the way Seven had far dealt with it and, for most parts, attempted to cover it up.

Thus far the Swans have backed Worner and the club’s chairman, Andrew Pridham, said publicly last December when news of the affair broke: “I think he’s (Worner) a fantastic guy and it’s really unfortunate there’s so much hysteria around it. We shouldn’t make judgments until we have the facts. We have no facts.”

 




Latest News

Cannes Lions Unveils 2024 Programme Featuring Queen Latifah, Jay Shetty & P&G’s Mark Pritchard
  • Advertising

Cannes Lions Unveils 2024 Programme Featuring Queen Latifah, Jay Shetty & P&G’s Mark Pritchard

The programme has been revealed for this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity featuring more than 150 hours of content and some 500 speakers. About this year’s line-up, Natasha Woodwal, director of content, LIONS, said: “Our open call for content gives us unparalleled insight into what matters most to the industry right now, and we’ve […]

Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch
  • Advertising

Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch

Digital publisher network Scroll Media has employed ex-Amazon Twitch gaming executive Costa Panagos (lead image) to strengthen its Scroll Gaming capability. Panagos is highly experienced in game advertising and media sales professional with two years in account management at Twitch and three years in media sales at News Corp, so will bring his extensive media agency […]

Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs
  • Technology

Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs

School-leaver service Year13 has launched a new Artificial Intelligence course to upskill young people in AI, made in collaboration with Microsoft and KPMG, at an event to rally industry support behind youth AI fluency. The free online course AI Amplified which is part of Year13’s Academy aims to provide all young people with the opportunity […]

General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania
  • Advertising

General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania

General Motors has announced the appointment of Heath Walker (lead image) as the new marketing director for GM Australia and New Zealand, effective April 23, 2024. Walker brings a wealth of marketing and communications experience gained from working across various industries, including IT, sporting, and auto – notably Tesla, Nissan and most recently, Scania in […]