Ryan Stokes, the son of former Seven media baron Kerry Stokes, has been appointed chair of Southern Cross Media Group board months after his father retired.
He will succeed Teresa Dyson, who will continue to serve as a non-executive director and as chair of the risk, regulatory and compliance committee.
Former oOh!Media chief executive Cathy O’Connor has also been named lead independent director of the business.
Stokes becomes the fourth chair of Southern Cross Media since it was established in January following Southern Cross Austereo’s $385 million acquisition of Seven West Media.
Kerry Stokes was installed as the initial chair but stepped away from the media business in February, more than 30 years after he established and built Seven West Media.
The chair was then assumed by previous Southern Cross Austereo chair Heith Mackay-Cruise, who presided over the departure of several senior executives, including chief executive Jeff Howard, TV boss Angus Ross and chief operating officer Trent Dickerson.
Subsequently, Rohan Lund, a former Seven chief operating officer, returned to become CEO, and Mackay-Cruise departed to be succeeded by Dyson.
Meanwhile, Kerry Stokes became the largest shareholder of the business through his private investment company Australian Capital Equity and Seven Group Holdings.
The installation of his son Ryan, who is a nominee of Seven Group Holdings, caps off a remarkable return to executive power of Seven West Media interests.
In a statement to the ASX, Ryan Stokes said: “Southern Cross has outstanding brands, audiences and reach, and a clear opportunity in front of it.
“The role we play to engage, inform and entertain our audiences, and to connect them with our customers, remains essential to the communities we serve.
“The board’s focus is clear, to give Rohan and the management team the strongest possible support to execute and to hold the company to delivering on that potential. The board is united on building a stronger, higher-performing group and on driving returns for all shareholders.”
