Nine has appointed Mason Rook as chief executive of its Pedestrian division, just a fortnight after it laid off as much as 40 per cent of its staff, including the former chief exec.
Rook had been the commercial director of sales and operations at Guardian Australia and will now lead the Pedestrian team.
Nine’s chief digital officer Alex Parsons said that he was the “ideal leader” for Pestrian.
“We are delighted to welcome Mason back to the Nine business in his new role with Pedestrian,” said Parsons.
“Mason’s impressive track record and forward-thinking approach makes him the ideal leader to guide us through the next, exciting phase of our growth. He is without doubt one of the most talented media operators I have worked with.”
Rook had previously spent ten years with Nine, rising from the role of account manager to sales director.
Nine said that Rook will “spearhead strategic initiatives” for Pedestrian “aimed at enhancing content quality and alignment, diversifying the publisher’s commercial base” and using Pedestrian’s suite of unique assets to connect brands with Australia’s youth.
It also said that a “commitment to inclusivity and innovation aligns perfectly with Rook’s mission to inspire and entertain the next generation of content consumers.”
“I am thrilled to be joining Pedestrian and to have the opportunity to lead such a dynamic and impactful organisation. I’ve been a personal fan of the business for many years and I look forward to working with the talented team to deliver exceptional content and connect Australia’s best brands to these audiences in new and exciting ways,” said Rook.
Earlier this month, Nine slashed its Pedestrian team and cancelled its licensing deals with publishers including Vice, Refinery29 and Gizmodo as part of the publishing giant’s broader restructure.
At the time, Nine said that it would focus on the brands that it owns, Pedestrian and Pedestrian.TV, while the future of its Web3 publication The Chainsaw is uncertain, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The moves are part of Nine’s plans to restructure its business, which could see up to 200 jobs go with the publishing division particularly hard hit.
In a note shared with staff and seen by B&T, former Pedestrian boss Matt Rowley said that over the past two years, the licensed branding model had faced “financial headwinds” that had impacted the performance of licensed titles.
These include a declining advertising market and the rise of TikTok and Instagram.
“Given these factors, we’ve made the tough decision to focus on our wholly-owned Pedestrian brands where we control the strategy, the content, the product, the sales and the outcome – the entire business. This means that we will transition out of our current brand licences, which will reposition our business for the future,” Rowley said.
“This will have an impact on roles within the group and I appreciate the uncertainty this change creates, so we will be in contact immediately with those people. Where possible, we will look for opportunities for redeployment and will continue to work with everyone over the coming days to support this difficult transition.”
