Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.
Paul “Fatty” Vautin is retiring from Channel 9, marking the end of a 33-year career at the network.
Known for his wit, warmth, and passion for rugby league, Vautin leaves a legacy of countless live sports commentary and entertainment hostings that created unforgettable television moments.
Following his playing career where he represented Australia and captained his beloved Queensland Maroons and Manly Sea Eagles, including a premiership in 1987, Vautin began his broadcasting career at Channel 9 in 1991 on the Midday show alongside Ray Martin, Derryn Hinch and Kerri-Anne Kennerley, where he co-hosted a weekly sports segment with former cricketer Simon O’Donnell.
Jenni Dill and Martin Brown
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) announced a renewed board with Jenni Dill appointed chair of the board as Martin Brown steps down from the role.
Brown reflected on his tenure and said: “I’m incredibly proud of how far AANA has come, the value we are delivering to our members and the impact we are having on the industry. This was made possible through the trust of our members, the dedication of the AANA team and the support of our board. I am confident that AANA will soar to new heights with Jenni Dill at the helm.”
Dill thanked Brown for his leadership and said: “Martin has made an incredible contribution to AANA and the industry. We cannot thank him enough for leaving the AANA in such a strong position as the leading marketing industry body in Australia. I’m both honoured and excited to step into this role and lead our efforts in supporting and championing Australia’s marketing community.”
After 15 years as a co-host, ABC News Breakfast‘s Michael Rowland is leaving the program.
The broadcaster revealed his departure Monday, saying he was taking a long break, but assured he would return with the ABC later in 2025.
Friday, 13 December will be Rowland’s last day on air. Rowland started at the ABC over 35 years ago and has co-hosted News Breakfast since 2010.
“I will miss the fabulous Brekky team, but I will miss our viewers even more. I am intensely proud of helping build the News Breakfast audience over the years. Thank you all sincerely for entrusting me with your mornings,” he said.
Angela Robinson
Publicis Sapient has appointed Angela Robinson as country managing director (MD) for Australia, based in Publicis Sapient’s Melbourne office.
Robinson’s appointment reflects the importance of Australia for Publicis Sapient’s continued global growth. The digital consulting company’s deep expertise in digital innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions directly supports the country’s digital business transformation goal to become a world-leading digital economy and society by 2030.
As managing director for Australia, Robinson will play a strategic role in driving business growth in Australia, as well as managing the operational business and community.
The Brag Media, Australia’s largest creator of premium youth content and events, has announced Neil Griffiths as the new Editor-in-Chief of Rolling Stone Australia.
Griffiths will quit his current role of Managing Editor at trade media website Mumbrella to join the iconic music brand in January 2025.
Griffiths has more than a decade of experience in media and entertainment across print, online, radio, TV and podcasting.
He has worked both in Australia and New York across a variety of platforms and hosted music and entertainment podcast The Plug. He was previously Head of Online News and Content at themusic.com.au.
[insert Jack’s pic]
The Brag Media has also confirmed it will strengthen its commercial leadership team with the promotion of Jack Castles to Head of NSW Partnerships.
Castles will assume responsibility for the strategic oversight of the NSW client portfolio and oversee the management, development and growth of partnership opportunities in the state, reporting directly to Batoul Peters, Head of National Partnerships.
Castles joined The Brag Media as Partnerships Manager in June 2023 and has driven impressive commercial growth.
Pearman Media has welcomed Katy Lozancic as general manager.
Lozancic brings a wealth of global knowledge and leadership to the independent media agency team with her extensive experience in both the independent and agency sectors.
Her background includes a long tenure at Group M Australia, where she served as a client lead and general manager of MediaCom and managing director of Maxus.
Dominic Pearman, managing director of Pearman, said: “Having someone with the calibre of Katy is exactly what we need. Katy’s experience in navigating the complexities of Independents and Network agencies makes her a perfect fit for our culture and values.
“Her proven track record in driving growth and innovation within global network media agencies will also be invaluable as we are on a significant growth journey.”
Mike Byrne
ARN has let go of Mike Byrne, content director for WSFM, following the station’s milestone achievement of reaching the coveted number-one spot in the most recent radio survey. Byrne’s exit marks the end of a significant chapter for the Sydney station, which he has led since January 2020.
The news follows ARN’s announcement that WSFM will be rebranded as GOLD101.7 in January 2025.
ARN confirmed the news today with Mediaweek in a statement acknowledging Byrne’s instrumental role in WSFM’s success. “Mike leaves having achieved the milestone of taking WSFM to number 1 overall for the first time since it converted to FM,” the statement read. “A loyal and passionate member of the ARN family, we sincerely thank Mike for his outstanding contributions.”
Orchard has appointed Anne Ngo to the newly created role of head of customer growth and martech.
In her new role at the creative technology agency, Ngo will be responsible for driving Orchard’s martech offering across both its consumer and healthcare divisions, as well as innovating across customer experience, data, and martech.
Ngo has over 15 years of global experience in customer growth, lifecycle marketing, and digital transformation and brings a a wealth of experience in both CX and martech to Orchard.
She joins the agency after spending nearly four years as Akcelo’s customer strategy and martech director.
Anne Ngo
Morning Glory with Matty Johns will return to SEN in 2025, marketing the host’s fifth year on air with the network.
Kicking off on Friday 7 February 2025, the show will air weekly from 9 am to midday AEST, broadcast across SEN stations including SEN 1170am in Sydney, SENQ 693am in Brisbane, and SEN 1620am on the Gold Coast, with fans being able to enjoy their favourite Friday tradition, running all the way through until the NRL Grand Final in October.
Matty Johns first joined SEN in October 2020 during the launch of the network’s 1170am band in Sydney, with the show later simulcasting into Brisbane following the inception of SENQ 693am in July 2022.
Johns’ weekly program has gone on to be a hit with both radio and digital audiences, with professional rugby league player-turned-media personality known for his unique blend of humour, insight, and a touch of chaos. Johns is ready to deliver more of what listeners love in 2025, with iconic segments like ‘Movie of the Week’, ‘Morning Glory Jeopardy’, and a host of surprises all returning.
Jack Nimble revealed a change in leadership ahead of the new year, three years since its acquisition by Sparro in 2021.
James McInnes, Adam Wise, Angus Mullane, Hayley Olsson
Co-founders Adam Wise and Angus Mullane have decided to leave the business to pave the way for the next generation of leadership and spend time with their families.
Stepping up are long-standing employees of Jack Nimble, James McInnes and Hayley Olsson. The duo have been promoted to key roles to fulfil the day-to-day leadership responsibilities of the business.
They will work closely with Sparro co-founders Morris and Cam Bryant to guide the agency strategy moving forward.
Flywheel, Omnicom’s cloud-based digital commerce practice within global marketing and sales solutions company, has appointed Mohammad Heidari Far as managing director, and Elise Luu as eCommerce director for Flywheel Australia.
The company, which has operations in the Americas, Europe, and APAC, provides a wide range of data and AI-powered commerce solutions ranging from self-service software to full-service management of digital commerce operations across more than 400 digital marketplaces, including nine of the top 10 global marketplaces and key Australian retailers including Amazon, Coles 360, Cartology, MixIn, and Uber.
“Australia represents one of the most dynamic and high-growth regions for digital commerce,” Alex McCord, CEO of Flywheel, said.
“Mo and Elise bring strong leadership, expertise, and a proven track record of success in unlocking growth for clients both globally and locally. They will be instrumental in driving value for Omnicom’s clients as we continue to expand our presence and deliver transformative commerce solutions in the region.
Jasmin Bedir, Giorgia Butler and Brendan Willenberg.
Innocean Australia CEO Jasmin Bedir has welcomed the appointment of Brendan Willenberg as the agency’s new executive creative director.
Willenberg steps into the role after Wesley Hawes exited the business in October to join 72andSunny as its new ANZ chief creative officer.
Willenberg has enjoyed a 20-year career as one of the nation’s top creatives and led some of the country’s best-known non-traditional campaigns, including “Pitvertising” for Rexona, “Losing Lena” for Code Like a Girl, “Support Acts” for Wrigley’s Extra, and “Fallout with a V” for V Energy drinks.
He has won a host of Cannes Lions, Effies, AWARD Awards, One Show and Spikes and was runner up for the Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award for Code Like a Girl’s “Losing Lena” campaign. He was named the fifth best ECD in APAC by One Show and won AWARD’s Agency of the Year in 2019 at Clemenger.
StackAdapt has appointed Alessandra Alessio as director of marketing for the APAC region.
Alessio will focus on elevating the multi-channel advertising platform‘s brand presence across the region and will lead marketing strategies to showcase the company’s full suite of capabilities and support brands navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape.
She brings just under two decades of experience in the digital advertising industry to StackAdapt and will spearhead growth initiatives across Asia-Pacific.
Alessio, who will be based in Singapore for the role, joins StackAdapt after 16 years at Google, covering B2B marketing and sales roles, focusing on adtech, measurement, and data privacy solutions.
Josh Adsett
Seven’s former chief of staff, Josh Adsett, has been appointed executive editor for 10 News First Queensland, bringing over 25 years of experience reporting on Queensland’s most significant stories.
In his new role, Adsett will helm the 5pm bulletin for 10 News First Queensland, leading a dedicated team of journalists and production crews to deliver the news that matters most to Queenslanders.
Adsett, a Brisbane native, began his journalism career in 1998 with 7 Local News in Mackay. He went on to work as a reporter, story producer, and bureau chief with 7 News Brisbane Gold Coast Bureau, and later served as chief of staff for 7 News Gold Coast.
Martin White, head of broadcast news at Paramount Australia and New Zealand, said: “Josh embodies everything we stand for at 10 News First. He’s an exceptional journalist, a skilled newsmaker, and an inspiring leader. I’m excited to see the impact he will have as we continue to strengthen our commitment to local news in Queensland.”
Andrea Van Unen-Smith
Senetas Corporation has appointed Andrea Van Unen-Smith as chief marketing officer.
In the role, Van Unen-Smith will oversee Senetas’ marketing and public relations focusing on aligning with key industry narratives, including the impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity.
Van Unen-Smith brings a wealth of experience to the Cybersecurity and secure networking solutions company, with over two decades in technology marketing and communications, including roles at Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, and UiPath.
Her expertise in driving comms strategy across cybersecurity, networking, and automation, makes her an ideal leader to drive Senetas’ next stage of growth. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in shaping marketing initiatives, developing impactful campaigns, and enhancing brand visibility in highly technical and competitive global markets.
Beau Ryan, Natarsha Belling and Aaron Woods have been named the new breakfast hosts of 104.9 Triple M Sydney after Mark Geyer was axed from the spot earlier this month.
Starting on January 20, Triple M Breakfast with Beau, Tarsh & Woodsy, brings together three fantastic local Sydney voices to engage and entertain listeners, from 6-9 am weekdays on 104.9 Triple M Sydney and LiSTNR.
Dave Cameron, SCA chief content officer, said: “In 2025, the Triple M network will continue to have a steadfast approach to locally focussed Breakfast shows across the country, hosted by much-loved local identities in each city that can connect with local audiences and clients. Sydneysiders know their city to be Australia’s most exciting, and they deserve something just as exciting, fresh and locally relevant to wake up to, instead of the tired same-same approach of other Sydney stations.”
Beau Ryan, Natarsha Belling and Aaron Woods