Former Foxtel executive and Nine managing director Amanda Laing is firming up to lead the group’s TV, radio and Stan businesses, according to a report by Nine’s business masthead, the Australian Financial Review.
Current acting CEO Matt Stanton is favoured to continue leading the overall group, but Laing could join in a new role that would oversee broadcast TV, radio and Stan. This means that director of television Michael Healy, director of radio Tom Malone and Stan boss Martin Kugeler would report into her.
The AFR reports that the new structure is designed to simplify operations; previously 14 senior executives reported into former CEO Mike Sneesby. Under the new leadership a structure, Nine’s publishing arm would continue to be led by Tory Maguire. Domain, in which Nine owns a 60 per cent stake, is still on the hunt for a CEO after Jason Pellegrino stepped down late last year.
Nine declined to comment on Laing’s appointment, but it would surprise few industry observers if the widely-respected media executive has been tapped.
Since Nine’s former CEO Mike Sneesby announced he was leaving the business last September, Laing quickly emerged as a frontrunner to take over the baton of Australia’s largest media company.
Stanton, the chief financial and strategy officer at the time, assumed acting CEO duties while Nine was on the hunt for a successor.
It now appears that Stanton could make that role permanent and bring in Laing, who has wide experience in broadcast TV, to head up the broadcast divisions and streamer Stan.
An experienced hand
Laing previously worked at Nine for nearly 11 years, between 2006 and 2017. She served as group general counsel, commercial director and managing director. She has also served on the board of Stan.
Most recently Laing spent more than six years at Foxtel group where she was chief commercial and content officer before stepping up to lead its streamer, BINGE. This means she could only join Nine after seeing out her Foxtel non-compete clauses, which would likely expire no earlier than April, a year after she left the business.
If Laing were to be appointed, she would join a business that has endured one of the most challenging years in its history.
Nine has been marred allegations or bullying and sexual assault, leading to a review into its workplace culture; industrial action; mass redundancies; the departure of its former chair Peter Costello and former CEO Mike Sneesby; a weak advertising market that has seen its broadcast TV business in decline; and its share price tumbled by more than a third in 12 months.
The group’s TV news division has been shaken up by the departure of former news and current affairs chief Darren Wick after allegations of sexual harassment, followed by the exits of Sydney news leader Simon Hobbs and Queensland news chief Amanda Patterson, the latter claiming she was unlawfully dismissed.
More recently and unrelated to the cultural overhaul, Nine’s long-serving chief sales officer Michael Stephenson left for a role at ARN.
In FY24, Nine’s group revenue was down 3 per cent and earnings dropped by 12 per cent.
Although it was a tough year on many fronts, Nine was buoyed by a strong Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its publishing business also performed admirably, Stan continued to grow and total TV audiences also soared to record heights.
