SBS has appointed Kathryn Fink as chief content officer, Matthew Hancock as director of digital and Stig Bell as chief people officer, bringing content, digital and people functions into an expanded executive structure.
The changes bring key content functions together under Fink, with a focus on coordinating strategy and delivery across television, audio, digital and third-party platforms as audience consumption habits continue to shift.
As chief content officer, Fink will oversee television and online content, sport, National Indigenous Television (NITV), audio and language content, digital, and marketing and audiences.
Fink joined SBS as director of television in July 2022, having previously held senior roles at The Walt Disney Company, Sky Italia and News Corp.
During her tenure, she has overseen SBS’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which reached more than 18.1 million Australians, and the launch of Alone Australia, the broadcaster’s most successful original commission, which is now heading into its fifth season.
The expanded portfolio is intended to support more integrated content planning across SBS’s platforms, including its multilingual audio services, which reach audiences in more than 60 languages.
Hancock, meanwhile, will lead digital audience growth, product development and platform strategy, with a focus on the continued development of SBS On Demand. He will report to Fink and work closely with the broadcaster’s technology, commercial, marketing and audience teams.
Hancock joined SBS in 2016 and has served as general manager of streaming and digital products since July 2024. He previously held roles at Screen Producers Australia, Screen Australia and the Australian Film Commission.
Under his leadership, SBS On Demand has grown to 16.9 million registered users and a catalogue of more than 15,000 hours of local and international content. The service also offers multilingual discovery and navigation features.
Bell’s promotion to chief people officer expands his responsibilities beyond his previous role as director of people and culture, which he has held since August 2017. Having joined SBS in 2013, he will now oversee people and culture, inclusion, organisational capability and enterprise strategy.
SBS managing director Jane Palfreyman said the new structure would support closer collaboration across the broadcaster as digital platforms reshape how audiences discover and engage with content.
“SBS tells stories that reflect our nation and connect Australians with one another and the wider world,” Palfreyman said.
“As digital platforms continue to reshape how audiences discover and engage with content, this new executive structure supports more integrated planning and closer collaboration.”
Palfreyman said bringing together the broadcaster’s content expertise and teams would help SBS reach more Australians with its distinctive stories and services.
Fink said the expanded content portfolio would help audiences discover and engage with SBS’s programming across genres and platforms.
“Bringing our incredibly talented content, marketing and digital teams together will help audiences discover and engage with the stories and services that matter to them, wherever they choose to watch, listen or read,” she said.
Hancock said he was looking forward to shaping the next stage of SBS’s digital strategy and delivering its content to audiences in new ways.
The restructure also changes the reporting lines for the director of audio and language content and the director of marketing and audiences. Both roles will report to Fink while remaining on the SBS Executive team, with a dual reporting line to the managing director.
Recruitment is underway for a new director of audio and language content.
Palfreyman said the function remained central to SBS’s broader content strategy, given its role in producing original Australian programming and providing services to communities in more than 60 languages.
“Its place in the new Content portfolio recognises its importance to whole-of-content planning, audience growth and cross-platform opportunities,” she said.
All appointments are effective immediately.
