News Corp Australia has announced a raft of changes to the leadership team of its metro, regional and community publishing businesses.
Lou Barrett, who joined News Corp from Network Ten (where she was general manager) in August last year as the publishing giant’s executive general manager of network partnerships, has been appointed to the role of executive general manager for network sales.
Fiona Mellor will take on a new role as News Corp’s executive general manager of real estate and news community media, and will join the board of the Community Newspaper Group.
Mellor was previously general manager of News Corp’s Leader newspapers.
The appointments of Barrett and Mellor are effective immediately, and they will both report to News Corp’s managing director of metro and regional publishing, Damian Eales.
In an email to colleagues, News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller thanked Ash Sheard for his work as acting executive general manager of network sales for the last six months.
“Ash has done a great job steering our network sales team while we determined the long-term executive structure,” he said.
Sheard will return to the role of general manager of network sales in Victoria.
Miller also farewelled Michelle D’Almeida, the managing director of News Corp’s Perth business, who is leaving after a 21-year career with the company.
“Michelle has been the managing director of our Perth business since 2012 and did a tremendous job of managing the recent sale of The Sunday Times to Seven West Media,” he said.
“With this sale now finalised and the handover work complete, Michelle has decided to take some well-deserved time out for personal reasons, while still remaining on the board of Community Newspaper Group, WA.
“Michelle has been a stellar member of the News Corp family, having held a number of senior of senior positions both here and overseas. I am grateful for her hard work and leadership and I wish her every success for the future.”
