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ABC confirms Michelle Guthrie as next Managing Director

ABC Board confirms its first ever female managing director, with Michelle Guthrie to succeed Mark Scott.

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The ABC has now confirmed Singapore-based Google executive Michelle Guthrie will succeed Mark Scott as Managing Director in May 2016.

Guthrie, who has an extensive CV in media management, becomes the first ever female managing director for the public broadcaster, and will receive a salary of $900,000 -around $70k more than Mark Scott’s salary.

She will also retain ultimate responsibility for all editorial content, as specified in the ABC Act, despite Malcolm Turnbull’s preference that editorial duties be split from those of managing director.

ABC Chairman James Spigelman, said, “The ABC Board made this appointment following a thorough local and international search that produced an outstanding field of candidates. Michelle is an exceptional media professional with strong content, operational and board experience within internationally-respected media companies.

“Michelle brings a unique local and global view to the role, having grown up in Sydney and worked at senior levels here and around the world. She brings to the ABC her business acumen, record in content-making across an array of platforms, a deep understanding of audience needs and corporate responsibility for promoting issues like diversity.

“We have no doubt she is the right person to succeed Mark Scott next year and to lead the Corporation in its broadcasting and digital work as both are defined by the ABC Charter.”

Ms Guthrie said, “Having grown up with the ABC and having been a professional observer of it over the last three decades, I have profound respect for the important role the national broadcaster plays throughout Australia and internationally,” Ms Guthrie said

“I would also like to acknowledge the leadership provided by Mark Scott during his tenure as managing director. It is fortunate that I will be able to work closely with him during the handover next year.”

She will begin a month-long handover process with Mark Scott from April.

Ms Guthrie has been based in Singapore in the past few years in a senior executive role with Google.

She began her career as a media lawyer in Sydney and has worked with a range of media companies in Australia and abroad, including Foxtel, BSkyB and the Asian-based STAR television network. In 2007, she was appointed Managing Director for Providence Equity, a global investment firm focused on media, entertainment, communications and technology.

She joined Google in 2011 and is currently the firm’s managing director for Agencies in the Asia-Pacific. Ms Guthrie has played a key role in the development of broadcasting channels and content strategies across a range of platforms, including STAR’s 24-hour news channel in India with its complex stakeholder base and huge audience.

Ms Guthrie has held a number of non-executive positions in commercial and not-for-profit organisations. She was instrumental in setting up the Hong Kong office of Plan International to drive global donations for children’s development projects and programs in mainland China and other Asian nations.

4 Responses

  1. ABC News reported that the incoming Managing Director was not averse to some form of advertising. This should endear her to the Friends of the ABC, who have a firm no advertising stand.

    The BBC website has some form of advertising, and I think this is a model that the ABC can copy, and probably doesn’t voilate the no advertising stand, as it’s not during TV or radio time.

  2. Let’s hope there’s not a repeat of her STAR-TV debacle. As the SMHerald reports “Incoming ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie oversaw one of Rupert Murdoch’s biggest media failures, an attempt to bypass Chinese media ownership restrictions through a backdoor TV venture”. Reportedly cost News Corp. between $30M and $60M.

    1. To be fair, Rupert pretty much dug his own hole with his STAR shenanigans. China was never going to let an outsider control media outside of their tightly-regulated ‘international’ zone & international hotels, especially at a time when the government & friends were expanding their own media organisations. Opening his mouth & having a go at the Chinese government just gave them a reason – and Guthrie left soon after that.

      Rupert basically tried to bully an even bigger bully & lost.

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