Nine’s chief sales officer Michael Stephenson to depart
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The news: Nine Entertainment’s chief sales officer Michael Stephenson has resigned, the company announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The context: Stephenson will be replaced by Matt James, a Nine executive who for the last two months has been working on the company’s strategy and corporate development, following a four-year stint as Nine’s Melbourne managing director.
Stephenson departs the company following nearly a decade in the role, which saw him responsible for the company’s advertising in TV, publishing and audio. His is the fourth high-profile departure this calendar year.
Nine announced the departure of former chair Peter Costello in June, following an altercation with a journalist at Canberra airport. The company’s former chief executive Mike Sneesby departed the company in September, and the company’s long-serving communications chief, Victoria Buchan, departed at the end of November.
What they said: “Since Michael joined as director of sales for ninemsn almost two decades ago, Nine has successfully responded to the changing industry dynamics and consistently performed strongly in the advertising market. During his tenure, Nine has developed the television trading platform 9Galaxy, launched self-serve advertising platform 9AdManager and rapidly grown our BVOD revenue share to 47% in FY24,” acting CEO Matt Stanton said in a statement.
“We are fortunate that high-calibre media executive Matt James is stepping in to lead the sales team to ensure continuity for Nine’s key partners and sales team. With experience on both the media and agency sides, a strong background in digital, and extensive knowledge of Nine, Matt is well placed to ensure he hits the ground running with the sales team during 2025.”
The source: Nine Entertainment media release
