ARN’s chief sales officer Richard Hunwick is set to depart the business in January, with SCA’s executive general manager of Western Australia and Adelaide Robert Iannazzo stepping in to take over this month.
Hunwick has been with the business for almost two years, holding the role of CSO for 12 months, and prior to that director of sales Total Audio for eight months – and is to step away from ARN in the new year.
Meanwhile, Iannazzo steps into the new role after more than 12 years with Southern Cross Austereo where in his most recent role he led sales, content and operations teams across both markets and was accountable for revenue, sales leadership, and market strategy.
The appointment marks a return to ARN for Iannazzo, who previously held senior sales leadership roles with the business in Melbourne.
Iannazzo will lead ARN’s national sales team and commercial strategy across broadcast radio, streaming, podcasts, digital audio, video and integrated client solutions. His focus will be on increasing Metro radio revenue share, strengthening customer and agency partnerships, driving revenue growth and ensuring ARN’s commercial proposition takes full advantage of its expanding content, data and digital capabilities.
On Hunwick’s departure ARN CEO Michael Stephenson said: “I want to thank Rich for everything he has done at ARN. I have had the pleasure of working closely with Rich for the last 20 years, he is one the most senior and most respected media leaders in the country, he has been at the very centre of our business transformation, and his input has been invaluable.”
Hunwick expressed it had been a “privilege building the foundation of something very special” at ARN.
“With the exceptional team now in place I believe the business is ready to accelerate into the next phase. I’m excited to see how far Stepho and Robert will take the business next year, I will be cheering them on.”
Commenting on Iannazzo’s appointment, Stephenson said: “Robert has a deep understanding of radio, he has a proven track record of building high-performance teams, growing radio market share and delivering results in competitive media markets.
“Robert’s leadership and experience will be critical as we focus on growing our metro radio revenue share ensuring we unlock the full value of our audience, content and commercial assets.”
Meanwhile, Iannazzo said: “I’m thrilled to be returning to ARN, having started my broadcasting career at Gold104.3 in Melbourne many years ago. ARN is exceptionally well positioned to lead the future of audio, and I’m looking forward to working alongside Michael and the wider ARN sales team along with our customers and agencies to build on that momentum.”
