Southern Cross Media chairman Heith Mackay-Cruise will assume the role of interim executive chair of the TV, radio and publishing giant following its merger with Seven West Media.
Just days after taking over from Kerry Stokes as chair of the new company, Mr Mackay-Cruise on Monday made a suite of changes at the top “to accelerate the implementation of its strategy” following the merger.
While a global search has been launched for a new CEO, former SCA chief John Kelly will take on the role of interim chief executive overseeing the TV and audio division of the new company, replacing SWM chief executive and managing director Jeff Howard, who will step down immediately. Maryna Fewster remains CEO of the publishing business, West Australian Newspapers, which includes The Nightly.
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Southern Cross Media also announced it had appointed Scott Butterworth as chief financial officer to succeed Craig Haskins, who is retiring.
SCA executive Toby Potter has also been named chief transformation officer for TV and radio.
“As the company accelerates the delivery of its strategy, SCA’s newly constituted board has determined it is the appropriate time to appoint new leadership to take the group forward and execute on our plans,” Mr Mackay-Cruise said.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Jeff for his efforts across the period of transition, with the successful implementation of the scheme of arrangement and creation of a market-leading, multi-platform media company now complete.”
Mr Mackay-Cruise also welcomed Mr Butterworth to the team.
“As a CFO, Scott Butterworth has extensive experience in large-scale, multi-disciplinary leadership roles with significant focus on customer engagement,” Mr Mackay-Cruise said.
“He has the right skillset, transformation capability, and proven track record for our business.
“The board is confident is our team’s capability to apply the financial discipline and industry-leading expertise to drive scale and performance for Southern Cross Media Group going forward.”
