The Seven Network has appointed Kate Amphlett as director of communications and marketing and Blake Barillaro as director of audience measurement and research. B&T understands that Marni Crutchley has decided to leave Seven after two years.
Crutchley is planning to focus on a consulting portfolio and continue her work with The Honig Foundation, where she serves on the board.
Amphlett and Barillaro’s roles are both newly created and report to Seven’s chief content officer, Brook Hall. Amphlett has been part of Seven’s content and publicity teams for almost 20 years. She was appointed director of communications earlier this year and recently streamlined Seven’s communications function around the content pillars of entertainment and 7plus, news and current affairs, and sport.
Working closely with Seven’s marketing, creative and social teams, Amphlett has been behind campaigns for entertainment, drama, reality and lifestyle shows.
“Bringing together communications and marketing gives us the opportunity to unify our messaging, sharpen our strategy and enhance our experience for Seven’s audiences across multiple platforms. We’re fortunate to have some of the most creative minds in the industry at Seven, and I’m excited to continue collaborating with them as we shape the next chapter of our brand,” Amphlett said.
Barillaro joined Seven from Nine in 2021 as insights manager, before being promoted to head of digital audience data in 2024. He has contributed to the rollout of Australia’s audience currency measurements, including VOZ and Ipsos iris, and has built out the reporting of Seven’s cross-platform content ratings.
As director of audience measurement and research, Barillaro will oversee the reporting capabilities of all ratings and research insights and collaborate with the industry on future data products and technologies to enhance how audiences are measured nationally.
“Over the past few years, we have seen a transformation of our ratings reporting, with the need to accurately identify how viewing behaviours continue to evolve and the full scope of our content’s ability to reach Australians. I am excited to continue to enhance the capabilities of this department in providing actionable insights for our teams across Seven West Media,” Barillaro said.
“Seven’s content team continues to impress with its depth and talent. Kate and Blake have been an integral part of our team for many years, and it’s fantastic to see them stepping into these important roles,” Hall added.
“Television truly is in Kate’s DNA. Over the past 20 years, she’s been a driving force behind some of Seven’s most iconic shows and events. Her passion for the industry, combined with her understanding of Seven’s people and audiences, makes her an exceptional strategic leader within our business.
“Blake has been instrumental in reshaping how we capture and interpret audience data at Seven, delivering more insights into viewer behaviour than we’ve had before. He is always thinking one step ahead and we can’t wait to see what he does next,” he said.
The two senior hires round out several recent senior appointments in Seven’s content team, which includes:
• Alison Booth as head of communications, rntertainment and 7plus
• Emma Francis as head of communications, sport
• Brittany Stack as head of communications, news and current affairs, partnerships and community
• Kerstin Hennessy as head of marketing, entertainment and 7plus
• Chantelle Hugo as head of marketing, news, current affairs and sport
• Laura Allen-Ducat as communications and marketing manager, Queensland
• Robyn Smith as communications and marketing manager, Victoria
• Thomas Fernance as head of audience insights
• Ashley Spinks as head of research and effectiveness
