Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.
After three years leading Australian Associated Press through a period of transformation and recovery, CEO Lisa Davies will step down in June.
The former Sydney Morning Herald editor, who began her journalism career at AAP more than two decades ago, has played a central role in securing the national newswire’s future following an existential funding crisis.
In a note to staff, AAP chair Gail Hambly confirmed Davies’ last day will be Friday, 6 June.
General counsel Emma Cowdroy will return as interim CEO while the organisation conducts a search for a permanent successor.
The Australian Radio Network’s (ARN) sweeping internal overhaul has claimed another high-profile departure with KIIS 1065 Content Director Tony Aldridge stepping down after more than seven years at the network.
Aldridge’s exit comes amid a period of dramatic change inside the business, as the broadcast giant grapples with mounting financial pressure, workforce cuts, and the weight of its blockbuster talent deals.
TEG has announced the promotion of Jessie Parker to Festival Director of Laneway Festival, marking a leadership transition following a record-breaking year for the event.
Parker steps into the role after serving as General Manager, a position she held during Laneway’s most successful season in its 20-year history. The 2025 festival drew 200,000 attendees across sold-out shows in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, featuring artists such as Charli XCX, Clairo, BICEP, and Olivia Dean.
Having joined Laneway in 2011, Parker has progressed through various roles over more than a decade, earning recognition for her strategic oversight and commitment to the festival’s culture and audience.
Kerfuffle team
Ant Keogh, Paul McMillan, and Michael Derepas have teamed up to launch their independent agency, Kerfuffle, based in Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
The trio, recognised as one of the most awarded agency teams in the country, spent seven years at the helm of The Monkeys Melbourne, following hugely successful long-term stints at BBDO Melbourne and George Patts.
Joining them are Group Account Director Jessie Roper, Senior Copywriter Carly Dallwitz, Senior Producer IIona Phyland, along with Creative Partners Josh Stephens and George Freckleton.
Seven is doubling down on its push to unify editorial vision and commercial ambition, appointing seasoned newsman Sean Power to the newly created role of Director of News Integration and Strategy.
Power most recently as Director of 7NEWS Sydney and previously Executive Producer of Sunrise, steps into a national role that signals the network’s evolving approach to news delivery across screens.
He’ll be charged with overseeing how nightly news content lands across all of Seven’s platforms: from traditional linear broadcasts to digital products like 7NEWS.com.au, 7plus, and The Nightly, plus social media extensions.
In Sydney, the newsroom will see another familiar face step into the fold. Geoff Dunn, a stalwart of Seven’s Sydney operations, has been appointed Acting Director of 7NEWS Sydney while the leadership team finalises a longer-term restructure. With more than 20 years in the city’s newsroom, Dunn brings stability, deep local knowledge, and newsroom respect to the interim role.
Meanwhile, Seven has confirmed the departure of Gemma Acton, Director of News Operations, who is relocating to Dubai with her family for a new opportunity. Acton has been instrumental in shaping the newsroom’s operational backbone over the past seven years and has been quietly transitioning out of the role in recent weeks.
Eley Michael
Equality Media + Marketing has appointed Eley Michael as Strategy Manager.
Michael joins from Southern Cross Austereo, where she held senior roles in corporate strategy and effectiveness.
She brings more than nine years of experience across insights, marketing and research, she brings a sharp analytical lens, strong commercial grounding and a reputation for thoughtful, people-first leadership.
In-house and hybrid agency consultancy -lution has named Mike Worden as Chief Media Officer and Partner as it continues to expand into media advisory space.
Worden brings over two decades of experience from across both agency and client-side roles.
He joins the -lution team from Endeavour Group where he led media and effectiveness, including building and transforming the internal media function. Prior to this, he served as Managing Director of EssenceMediacom.
SLIK has named Kim Verbrugghe as its new Managing Director, strengthening its leadership team as the agency expands its offering in creative, technology and customer experience.
Verbrugghe will be responsible for guiding the agency’s strategic direction, with a focus on scaling operations, refining its client offering, and integrating services such as AI, innovation programs, and customer experience strategy.
She joins during a period of growth for the independent agency, which recently opened a Melbourne office to support increased demand.
Daren Poole
Ipsos Australia has appointed Daren Poole as its new Creative Excellence Leader, a newly established role aimed at strengthening the company’s advertising research capabilities.
Based in Sydney and reporting to Ipsos Australia CEO Simon Wake, Poole will lead the creative development and assessment business. His responsibilities include guiding clients through a complex advertising environment by leveraging AI and platform-based research tools to assess advertising effectiveness and ROI.
Poole brings extensive global experience to the position, having worked across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Most recently, he served as Associate Vice President of Campaign Measurement at Morning Consult. Prior to that, he spent a decade as Global Head of Creative at Kantar, following a 20-year tenure at Millward Brown.
Youth-focused digital education company Year13 has announced the appointment of several former Atlassian executives to senior leadership roles, marking a major step in its strategy to become a fully AI-native platform and expand into international markets.
Pirow Cronje has joined Year13 as Head of Operations. He brings a decade of experience at Atlassian, including leadership roles across financial planning, product strategy, and customer analytics
Cronje was involved in Atlassian’s IPO preparations and go-to-market planning. At Year13, he will oversee the company’s operations and support the integration of AI across its technology and commercial platforms.
Steve Hirst, Andrew “Billy” Baxter, Vijay Solanki.
24 Hour Business Plan (24HRBP) has appointed Vijay Solanki as Senior Advisor, marking a strategic push into the not-for-profit (NFP) and health sectors.
The announcement coincides with a new partnership between 24HRBP and Matchmore, an organisation connecting NFPs with donors and pro-bono services.
Solanki, who previously served as CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Australia and held roles at Unilever, Philips and Shazam, joins 24HRBP to help mission-driven organisations develop focused strategies with speed and clarity.
His longstanding professional relationship with 24HRBP founder Andrew “Billy” Baxter underpins the move.
History Will Be Kind (HWBK) has welcomed new talent and made three promotions to its team.
Stepping up at the creative communications agency is Jack Hazeldine into the role of Account Director, where he will continue to lead and lend his support across accounts including Uber and Hilton.
Brooke Gascoigne, who joined HWBK a year ago as a Senior Account Executive, takes on the Account Manager title, and will continue working with the likes of Uber, Life360 and Randstad.
Sarah Cefai has also been promoted up to a Senior Account Manager position, in recognition of her ability to consistently smash KPIs and expectations across clients including Celebrity Cruises, Webjet and Uber.
Alongside these promotions, HWBK has welcomed Sonia Selvakumar to the team as a Senior Account Executive, alongside Maddie Whitehead as an Account Coordinator.
JOY has welcomed Philip Pollock and Matthew Keegan as partners of the independent full-service marketing agency.
Pollock and Keegan will head up a new dedicated team that will put performance data and digital insight at the heart of JOY’s integrated service offering.
Simon Rush, Principal, JOY called the additions of Pollock and Keegan a statement of intent for the agency evolves its digital and data offering to help clients grow in a rapidly changing landscape.
Che-Marie Trigg, Nick Shelton, Sonja Barber.
Broadsheet has announced three senior appointments to lead its upcoming London launch, set for September 2025. The expansion marks Broadsheet’s first international venture.
Sonya Barber joins as London Editor, bringing extensive experience from her previous roles at Condé Nast Traveller and Time Out.
Paul Davison steps in as Commercial Director for the UK and Europe, following his tenure as Vice President, Commercial EMEA at Vice. Che-Marie Trigg, formerly Broadsheet’s Sydney Editor, returns to the brand as London Commissioning Editor after relocating to the UK two years ago.
The London initiative is being spearheaded by Broadsheet founder and publisher Nick Shelton, who has moved to London to oversee the expansion.
BBC Studios Productions Australia has expanded its leadership team with three senior appointments, reinforcing its growth ambitions across drama, post-production and branded content.
Scott Hartley has been named Head of Production for Scripted, where he will manage the planning and execution of the company’s expanding drama portfolio. Current projects include a second season of Return to Paradise (ABC’s highest-rated local drama last year) Ghosts Australia for Network 10 and Paramount+, and a third title yet to be revealed.
Amanda Bainbridge, who joined the company in 2023, has been appointed Creative Head of Post Production. She will lead the creative direction of BBC Studios’ unscripted post slate, which includes Dancing With The Stars, The Great Australian Bake Off, and Top Gear Australia. The company has recently launched an in-house post-production facility in North Sydney to support both domestic and international projects.
Amber Brown joins as Director of Partnerships, Digital and Brands. She will be responsible for building relationships with commissioners, brands and agencies to expand brand-funded entertainment and off-air brand activations. Brown will work across content from both BBC Studios Productions Australia and Werner Film Productions.