Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.
Nova blows up Breakfast and Drive in a network-wide reset
Nova has finally flicked the switch on its biggest schedule shake-up in years, confirming that Fitzy, Wippa and Kate Ritchie will move out of Breakfast and into national Drive from Monday, February 9, while Ricki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell take over the Sydney breakfast chair.
The new-look Drive team effectively confirmed the move themselves on air this morning.
WHO appoints Sophie Coghill as digital editor
Are Media has appointed Sophie Coghill as digital editor of WHO.
She will lead the growth of WHO’s digital presence as the brand accelerates its omnichannel expansion, reporting to editor Lyndsey Rodrigues.
“Sophie is an exceptional digital editor, with sharp editorial instinct and a deep understanding of what entertainment audiences want right now. Her ideas, energy and calmness make her a perfect fit for WHO as we continue to deepen the brand across platforms,” said Rodrigues.
The Push-Up Challenge appoints Nicole Cikarela as CEO
The Push-Up Challenge has appointed Nicole Cikarela as CEO ahead of its expansion into the UK and New Zealand markets in February.
She joins from HBF Health, where she held various senior leadership roles during her six-year tenure.
Cikarela has also held senior positions at Clemenger BBDO and RAC WA, and currently serves on the board of Melanoma Patients Australia.
“Nicole is an exceptional fit to guide The Push-Up Challenge through its next phase of growth,” said The Push for Better Foundation’s board chair, Trevor Harris.
WSFM’s Mike Byrne returns to radio as Super Radio Network appoints new content chief
After three decades in radio – and a brief career shift into bus driving – former WSFM Content Director Mike Byrne is returning to the industry as Super Radio Network’s new Network Content Director.
After 30 years in radio, Byrne had been driving buses following his redundancy from the Australian Radio Network (ARN) in Sydney late last year. He is currently the coach-captain for Port Stephens Coaches.
Now, he will re-enter radio in early February, based in Newcastle, where he will oversee Super Radio Network’s local content offering and contribute to the broader network strategy.
Phil Rothfield calls time on 50-year career
The Sunday-morning breakfast ritual is about to become significantly less indigestible for NRL executives.
Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield, the man who turned the Sunday back page into a weekly referendum on the state of rugby league, is hanging up his notepad.
The veteran sports journalist has announced his retirement from News Corp Australia to draw the curtain on a staggering 50-year career.
Kym Middleton steps down as Women In Media Australia GM
Kym Middleton has concluded her time as General Manager of Women In Media Australia, ending a two-year stint with the national not-for-profit.
In a LinkedIn post, Middleton said she had “decided to conclude my time with this wonderful organisation,” describing the role as “a privilege” during a period of growth and delivery.
Man of Many nabs Amelia Navascues as head of social and production
Australian men’s lifestyle publisher Man of Many has appointed Amelia Navascues as head of social and production, as the publisher enters its next phase of growth across video, social and podcasting.
This appointment follows Rob Stott‘s appointment as the new editor-in-chief, who will spearhead the digital push into video and audio media channels.
QMS reloads strategy bench with four senior hires
Digital outdoor media company QMS has made four key appointments across its strategy division.
Adrian Venditti joins as head of solutions and growth, along with James Nettlefold as head of data and insights and Jordana Sherlock as head of research.
GumGum taps former SWM director Tim Manton to drive NSW and QLD growth
GumGum has appointed former Seven West Media (SWM) Group Business Director Tim Manton as Sales Director for New South Wales and Queensland.
The hire strengthens GumGum’s local leadership bench as agencies and advertisers increasingly shift away from cookie-based targeting toward solutions built around mindset, context and real-world attention.
Frank Digital hires eight and promotes four
The new hires are UX/UI designers Tom Upton and Angus Stevenson, digital program manager Sagar Acharya, senior developer Thien Nguyen, front-end developer Emily Leung, digital project co-ordinator Prachi Sharma, project manager Nadine Mueller and junior CRO specialist Lily Quach.
Jake Gaw has been promoted to head of strategy and experimentation; Aled Rayner has become lead UX/UI designer; Sam Kelham, who is now lead developer; and Ava McNab has been elevated to senior project manager.