One of Lachlan Murdoch’s closest advisers and one of Australia’s most influential media executives, Siobhan McKenna, will depart News Corp at the end of the year.
The announcement follows the sale of the Foxtel Group, which includes Kayo, Binge, and Hubbl, to global sports streaming giant DAZN earlier this year.
As News Corp’s chief executive of broadcasting, McKenna’s role had been significantly reduced after the deal.
Her departure was announced to staff on Thursday morning by News Corp global chief executive Robert Thomson, who described her exit as “epochal”.
“Her decision, and it is her decision, is essentially epochal as Siobhan has been a transformational force during her years with News Corp,” Thomson said in the company-wide note.
“The word ‘visionary’ is often abused, but not in Siobhan’s case, as her ability to perceive the future from the haze-shrouded shapes on the horizon is nonpareil. She is irreplaceable.”
From Murdoch confidante to corporate leader
A former McKinsey & Company partner, McKenna has long been one of Lachlan Murdoch’s most trusted advisers, having helped steer him through the high-stakes family trust case that cemented his control of his father Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire.
The case, which concluded in Nevada last month, saw Rupert’s three eldest children each receive roughly US$1.1 billion for their shares in the business.
McKenna’s influence in the settlement underscored her standing inside the Murdoch organisation, where she’s been instrumental in both strategy and crisis navigation for more than a decade.
McKenna and Lachlan Murdoch co-founded Illyria, a private investment firm, 20 years ago. Together they enjoyed success through Nova Entertainment, though their venture into Network Ten proved less fruitful after it entered voluntary administration in 2017.
Legacy across Foxtel, Sky and beyond
Under McKenna’s leadership, News Corp’s broadcasting portfolio – particularly Foxtel and Sky News Australia – underwent major transformation. Thomson credited her for guiding both businesses through “a treacherous tech landscape” and shaping them into “global success stories”.
“The worth of Foxtel was instinctively appreciated by the global leader in sports streaming, DAZN, which recently acquired the company, and with whom we have an ongoing partnership,” Thomson said.
“Sky was transformed from a traditional broadcaster to a digital powerhouse whose efficacious impact stretches far beyond the borders of Australia.”
In 2022, the Albanese government appointed McKenna as chair of Australia Post, recognising her expertise in digital transformation and commercial strategy.
Her departure marks the end of an era for News Corp Australia, which remains chaired by Lachlan Murdoch following his succession as executive chair and CEO of Fox Corporation in 2023.