Alex Parsons to take on CEO role at Car Advice
Alex Parsons’ stint with Nine is set to continue, as he fills the void left by Andrew Beecher as Car Advice CEO.
Parsons had been with Nine for more than a decade, but departed in 2017 when he was chief digital officer following a restructure. After a brief stint as CEO of Adcorp, Parsons returned to the Nine family to manage the sale of the events business it had inherited when it took over Fairfax.
Parsons will commence his new role next week
The former Fairfax events portfolio – which includes the likes of the City2Surf – has now been sold off to the Ironman Group for $31m, freeing up Parsons for his new role.
Nine said the appointment comes as it looks to capitalise on the tremendous opportunity in front of its automotive publishing business, particularly following its merger with Fairfax’s Drive Network. Nine noted Parsons’ strong digital credentials – including launching 9Now and rebranding Ninemsn to nine.com.au – and said the company was pleased to welcome him back into the fold on a more permanent basis.
“Alex has a strong history at Nine, including leading Nine’s initial acquisition of Car Advice, and it’s great to welcome him back,” said Greg Barnes, CFO of Nine and chairman of Car Advice. “He is a proven leader and his experience in the digital, advertising and data space will be the key as we chart the next stage of growth for Car Advice.”
He added: “Alex’s appointment marks the next step in a renewed push by Nine in the automotive category. The opportunity for him and the team is really around how they can capitalise on the assets within the combined group and build on Car Advice’s current growth trajectory.”
Parsons said he was thrilled to be taking on the role.
“Having led the acquisition of Car Advice, I have a great appreciation for both the category and the opportunity ahead of us,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with both the Car Advice team and the wider team Nine to realise its full potential across the automotive vertical.
“Nine’s audience reach and data, combined with the strength of Car Advice and Drive in the category has tremendous potential that the team and I will be singularly focused on realising.”
Well deserved
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