Henry Tajer has become Seven’s chief commercial officer replacing former chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette who was made redundant in June.
Tajer has served as the global chief exec of IPG Mediabrands and was the former head of Amazon’s advertising division in Australia.
In his new role, Tajer will be responsible for leading and driving all Seven revenue operations.
Seven’s national TV sales director Katie Finney, national digital sales director Jordan King and head of sales strategy and enablement Vikki Friscic will report to Tajer.
He will work closely with the wider Seven executive team to expand and enhance Seven’s offerings, ensuring the company delivers innovative solutions for advertisers and audiences.
Howard said: “While we are making solid progress on our television and digital audience and revenue objectives, the television advertising market remains challenging.
“The opportunity to engage someone with Henry’s experience and reputation to turbo-charge our ambition was too good to miss. With his extensive experience in the advertising, marketing and media industries here and overseas, Henry will bring a unique and valuable set of skills to this new role at Seven and will be a great addition to our management team as we seek to drive transformative growth.
“Henry joins a great team currently led by Katie, Jordan and Vikki, who are already changing the way we work with clients and agencies and achieving strong results in a challenging market. Under Henry’s leadership the four of them will make a formidable team,” he said.
Tajer said: “I am excited to be joining the amazing team at SWM. This is a unique moment for both Seven and the broader marketplace, presenting a tremendous opportunity to shape our offering and drive growth. I look forward to contributing to the company’s success and to the industry at large by delivering outcomes that create value for all of our partners and audiences.”
The move is a reversal of a restructure brought on by Seven’s new chief exec Jeff Howard in June. Burnette, a 34-year veteran of the company, left along with marketing boss Melissa Hopkins and Melbourne MD and head of sport Lewis Martin as Howard split the business into three divisions, removing around 150 jobs in the process.
Tajer has been working with Seven for a while. Mi3 reported in October that he has been working in an advisory role with the broadcaster.
A Seven spokesperson said at the time: “We have Henry helping us a few days a week to think differently across a wide range of projects where he can bring a different perspective.”
Two anonymous sources who spoke with the Nine-owned Sydney Morning Herald earlier said that Tajer’s arrival may be a precursor to eventually replacing Howard as chief executive.
Seven’s restructure saw it split into television, digital and a Western Australia operation. Angus Ross leads TV, chief digital officer Gereurd Roberts heads digital and Maryna Fewster controls WA.
