Nine has appointed Amanda Laing as managing director of the streaming and broadcast division, bringing together Stan, 9Now, Broadcast Television, and Radio, as the group accelerates its strategic transformation with an operating model reset and a new executive team.
Laing brings with her a strong background in television, streaming, digital, print and video-on-demand as well as expertise in commercial strategies and partnerships, business transformation, sports and entertainment content and rights, and mergers and acquisitions.
Most recently, she was chief commercial and content officer at Foxtel Group and managing director at Binge.
The network’s refreshed operating model will more effectively leverage the Group’s portfolio of premium media assets, simplify business operations, reduce duplication, and provide greater accountability.
The updated operating model will help deliver the Group’s Integrated Audience Platform strategy while strengthening Nine’s operational and financial performance. It will underpin Nine’s plan to reduce its cost base by a further $50 million in FY25 and enhance profitability through greater utilisation of the business’s premium assets.
As part of Nine’s strategic transformation program, the business will be streamlined into three consumer-focused divisions: Streaming and Broadcast, Publishing and Marketplaces.
The three divisions will be supported by Group functions working across the business, reducing duplication and introducing consistent, company-wide processes, which are critical for Nine’s ongoing cultural transformation.
Redundancies
Following the restructure, Stan CEO Martin Kugeler and Nine CMO Liana Dubois have been made redundant from their roles. Dubois will leave the company on January 17.
Tory Maguire
The current Publishing division, led by managing director Tory Maguire, will be expanded to include nine.com.au alongside Nine’s publishing assets, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review.
Meanwhile, the creation of a Marketplaces division provides more targeted oversight of Domain and Drive and ensures Nine is capitalising on value creation opportunities from Streaming & Broadcast and Publishing and across the Group.
Alex Parsons will oversee Marketplaces in addition to his chief digital officer role. There is no change to the current business structure or governance of Domain, an ASX-listed business.
Alex Parsons
Nine has also appointed James Boyce as director of Regulatory, Public Affairs and Communications to enhance the Group’s focus on the regulatory environment. Boyce is an experienced regulatory, government and communications leader, with a deep understanding of industry policy, national affairs and the media landscape.
He joins Nine from Paramount (Australia and New Zealand), where he was head of government and regulatory affairs.
James Boyce
‘Strategic transformation’
In line with the new operating model, Nine will transition to a more streamlined eight-member Executive Team reporting to Acting Chief Executive Officer Matt Stanton.
“Our operating model reset will help accelerate the strategic transformation underway at Nine by improving how the different parts of the business work together,” Stanton said.
“Our new approach will better position the business to manage the challenging external environment and ensure the company is future-fit to sustainably deliver for our consumers, partners, shareholders and people.
“Aligned with the greater accountability that flows from resetting the operating model, I’m pleased to unveil a new and focused Executive Team to lead Nine through its next phase of growth,” he added.
“The appointment of Amanda, one of the top media executives in the country, will add extraordinary industry expertise and energy to Nine’s experienced Executive Team in 2025 while James will sharpen the Group’s focus on the evolving regulatory landscape.”
Matt Stanton