Fairfax​ ​Media​ ​has​ ​appointed​ ​Mark​ ​Hawthorne​ – ​a​ ​seasoned​ ​and​ ​experienced​ ​publishing professional​ – to​ ​the​ ​newly-created​ ​role​ ​of​ ​Publisher,​ ​Victoria​ ​for​ ​Australian​ ​Metro​ ​Publishing.

Hawthorne​ ​has​ ​more​ ​than​ ​25​ ​years,​ ​experience​ ​in​ ​journalism​ ​spanning​ ​news,​ ​business,​ ​politics, sport​ ​and​ ​lifestyle.​ ​He​ ​has​ ​worked​ ​at​ ​Fairfax​ ​for​ ​the​ ​past​ ​13​ ​years,​ ​most​ ​recently​ ​as​ ​senior​ ​editor of​ ​​The​ ​Age​​ ​since​ ​September​ ​2013.

Managing​ ​director​ ​of​ ​Australian​ ​Pushing​ ​Media,​ ​Chris​ ​Janz,​ ​said:​ ​“We​ ​are​ ​thrilled​ ​to​ ​have​ ​someone of​ ​Mark’s​ ​calibre​ ​stepping​ ​up​ ​into​ ​this​ ​important​ ​new​ ​senior​ ​leadership​ ​position​ ​serving​ ​our Victorian​ ​market.​ ​He​ ​will​ ​be​ ​our​ ​key​ ​local​ ​touchpoint​ ​for​ ​business​ ​leaders​ ​and​ ​the​ ​community.

“Mark’s​ ​extensive​ ​editorial​ ​experience​ ​and​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​Victoria’s​ ​business,​ ​political​ ​and​ ​sporting circles​ ​make​ ​him​ ​well​ ​placed​ ​to​ ​drive​ ​strategies​ ​that​ ​deliver​ ​revenue​ ​growth​ ​and​ ​further​ ​elevate the​ ​connection​ ​​The​ ​Age​ ​​and​ ​other​ ​Fairfax​ ​Metro​ ​brands​ ​have​ ​with​ ​industry​ ​in​ ​Victoria,​ ​working closely​ ​with​ ​​The​ ​Age​​ ​editor​ ​Alex​ ​Lavelle​ ​and​ ​his​ ​editorial​ ​leaders,​ ​together​ ​with​ ​our​ ​strong Melbourne-based​ ​commercial​ ​team.”

Commenting​ ​on​ ​his​ ​appointment,​ ​Hawthorne​ ​said:​ ​“I​ ​am​ ​excited​ ​and​ ​humbled​ ​to​ ​be​ ​appointed Victorian​ ​publisher​ ​of​ ​Fairfax​ ​Media.​ ​​The​ ​Age​​ ​and​ ​​The​ ​Australian​ ​Financial​ ​Review​​ ​are​ ​the newspapers​ ​I​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​with,​ ​the​ ​newspapers​ ​I​ ​have​ ​read​ ​almost​ ​every​ ​day​ ​since​ ​I​ ​was​ ​a​ ​teenager. When​ ​I​ ​lived​ ​in​ ​London,​ ​​theage.com.au​​ ​was​ ​my​ ​lifeline​ ​to​ ​news​ ​and​ ​events​ ​back​ ​at​ ​home.

“I​ ​still​ ​remember​ ​the​ ​excitement​ ​of​ ​walking​ ​into​ ​​The​ ​Age​​ ​newsroom​ ​for​ ​the​ ​first​ ​time​ ​in​ ​1989.​ ​Later, when​ ​I​ ​returned​ ​from​ ​London,​ ​I​ ​printed​ ​out​ ​one​ ​copy​ ​of​ ​my​ ​resume​ ​and​ ​posted​ ​it​ ​to​ ​​The​ ​Age​. There​ ​was​ ​no​ ​other​ ​place​ ​in​ ​Melbourne​ ​I​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​work.

“Amid​ ​all​ ​the​ ​changes​ ​happening​ ​to​ ​our​ ​industry,​ ​​The​ ​Age​​ ​is​ ​well​ ​positioned​ ​to​ ​succeed.​ ​It​ ​has​ ​the best​ ​newsroom​ ​in​ ​the​ ​country,​ ​the​ ​respect​ ​of​ ​readers​ ​and​ ​the​ ​community​ ​and​ ​the​ ​heritage​ ​and trust​ ​of​ ​being​ ​a​ ​163-year-old​ ​masthead.”

Hawthorne​ ​will​ ​report​ ​to​ ​Chris​ ​Janz.​ ​Other​ ​editorial​ ​and​ ​commercial​ ​reporting​ ​lines​ ​do​ ​not​ ​change.

Hawthorne​ ​was​ ​previously​ ​national​ ​business​ ​editor​ ​of​ ​Fairfax’s​ ​metropolitan​ ​mastheads​ ​including BusinessDay​ ​sections​ ​of​ ​​The​ ​Age​​ ​and​ ​​The​ ​Sydney​ ​Morning​ ​Herald,​ ​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Money,​ ​Executive Style​ ​and​ ​My​ ​Small​ ​Business​ ​titles.

As​ ​a​ ​reporter,​ ​he​ ​has​ ​broken​ ​stories​ ​on​ ​the​ ​organised​ ​crime​ ​links​ ​to​ ​Opes​ ​Prime,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the financial​ ​collapses​ ​of​ ​Bill​ ​Express,​ ​Hastie​ ​Group​ ​and​ ​BrisConnections.​ ​Hawthorne’s​ ​reporting​ ​of​ ​the collapse​ ​of​ ​BrisConnections​ ​was​ ​highly​ ​commended​ ​at​ ​the​ ​Melbourne​ ​Press​ ​Club’s​ ​Quill​ ​Awards.

A​ ​Melbourne​ ​boy,​ ​Hawthorne​ ​attended​ ​Whitefriars​ ​College​ ​and​ ​Monash​ ​University.​ ​He​ ​started​ ​on the​ ​path​ ​to​ ​journalism​ ​as​ ​a​ ​14-year-old​ ​in​ ​1986,​ ​working​ ​as​ ​a​ ​weekend​ ​copy​ ​boy​ ​at​ ​​The​ ​Sunday Observer​ ​​newspaper.