Nine Entertainment (Nine) has restructured its business and hired experienced media executive Amanda Laing to lead its new streaming and broadcast division.
However, this restructure has also made redundant the roles of Stan CEO Martin Kugeler and CMO Liana Dubois, who have left the business.
Nine will now operate in three divisions: Streaming & Broadcast; Publishing; and Marketplaces.
The three divisions will be supported by group functions (including Sales, and Product, Technology & Data) that will work across the business, which Nine says will reduce duplication and create consistency in processes across the business.
In announcing the changes internally, Nine’s acting CEO Matt Stanton told staff: We’re acutely aware of the silos that exist, resulting in a duplication of efforts and a platform-led mindset. This means for many parts of the business, the power of the Nine Group isn’t being leveraged and our cost base is being impacted. This shift begins today and will ultimately make it easier for you to do your jobs.”
Laing joins as a managing director of the streaming & broadcast division, which brings together Stan, 9Now, broadcast television, and radio. Her appointment had been widely anticipated.
Director of television Michael Healy and director of radio Tom Malone will report to Laing with Kugeler’s role becoming redundant.
The current Publishing division, led by managing director Tory Maguire, will be expanded to include nine.com.au alongside Nine’s publishing assets, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review.
Nine has also created a Marketplaces division to house Domain and Drive, and ensure Nine “capitalises on value creation opportunities from Streaming & Broadcast and Publishing and across the Group”.
Nine chief digital officer Alex Parsons will oversee Marketplaces in addition to his current role. There is no change to the current business structure or governance of the ASX-listed Domain.
Nine’s sales team will continue to be led by acting chief sales officer Matt James, who stepped into a void left by former chief sales officer Michael Stephenson, who left the business late last year to join ARN.
Marketing will now be handled by each individual business unit, which has left Dubois – a Nine veteran of 12 years – without a role.
Dubois has been a key figure at Nine, initially leading the Sydney Sales team, growing Powered and then heading up group marketing as CMO.
Meanwhile, Kugeler has been at Stan for more than a decade and led the business for the past four years. Under Kugeler’s watch, Stan has substantially grown its subscriber base, refined its sports offering and become profitable.
Nine has also appointed James Boyce as director of regulatory, public affairs and communications to “enhance” its focus on the regulatory environment. He joins Nine from Paramount (Australia and New Zealand), where he was head of government and regulatory affairs.
The comes at a time when Nine has been locked in a cost5-cutting program to shave off $50 million from the bottom line.
Nine’s revenues in FY24 were down by 3 per cent and its EBITDA fell by 12 per cent due to declines in the linear TV advertising market. Towards the end of FY24 Nine announced plans to cut 200 staff, about 4 per cent of its workforce, which included cuts across its publishing business.
The business is also attempting to reset its culture.
‘A top media executive’
Laing brings a glittering CV and is one of Australia’s most experience media executives.
Most recently, Laing spent more than six years at Foxtel group where she was chief commercial and content officer before stepping up to lead its streamer, BINGE. This means she could only join Nine after seeing out her Foxtel non-compete clauses, which would likely expire no earlier than April, a year after she left the business.
Laing previously worked at Nine for nearly 11 years, between 2006 and 2017. She served as group general counsel, commercial director and managing director. She has also served on the board of Stan.
She will report to Nine’s acting chief executive Matt Stanton.
“Our operating model reset will help accelerate the strategic transformation underway at Nine by improving how the different parts of the business work together. Our new approach will better position the business to manage the challenging external environment and ensure the company is future-fit to sustainably deliver for our consumers, partners, shareholders and people,” Stanton said.
“Aligned with the greater accountability that flows from resetting the operating model, I’m pleased to unveil a new and focused Executive Team to lead Nine through its next phase of growth. The appointment of Amanda, one of the top media executives in the country, will add extraordinary industry expertise and energy to Nine’s experienced Executive Team in 2025 while James will sharpen the Group’s focus on the evolving regulatory landscape.”
Nine’s new executive leadership team
- Acting Chief Executive Officer: Matt Stanton
- Managing Director – Streaming & Broadcast: Amanda Laing
- Managing Director – Publishing: Tory Maguire
- Chief Digital Officer and Managing Director – Marketplaces: Alex Parsons
- Director – Regulatory, Public Affairs and Communications: James Boyce
- Acting Chief Financial Officer: Graeme Cassells
- Acting Chief Sales Officer: Matt James
- General Counsel & Company Secretary: Rachel Launders
- Chief People Officer: Vanessa Morley
