Dynamic Duos: News Corp’s partners in crime
In this week's Dynamic Duos, News Corp Australia's managing director - food, travel and health, Fiona Nilsson, and editorial director - premium food, travel and health, Kerrie McCallum discuss their shared passions and mutual respect.
In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two colleagues with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
Fiona Nilsson:
Of course I remember the first time I met Kerrie – I’m sure everybody does. She’s incredibly stylish and sweeps in with absolute presence, but is also disarmingly friendly and down to earth. I liked her immediately. Kerrie had come from a fashion background before taking on the role of Delicious editor-in-chief and that was exactly what we needed. We were seeking to reposition the magazine as a premium lifestyle brand. Food and fashion publishing are entirely different, but Kerrie made the transition seamlessly.
She’s incredibly adaptable, as well-versed in “masstige” as prestige, with an ability to elevate brands. She is truly a maestro at this. After Delicious, she did the same thing with travel brand Escape, and more recently with our health brand Body + Soul. While she’s an amazing, and award-winning, editor, what sets Kerrie apart is that she is a powerful brand builder. All her brands now span vast ecosystems and lead in their categories and she just brings that magic, that sprinkle of fabulousness to everything she touches.
Kerrie and I are partners in crime who really complement each other. I could never do what she does and she doesn’t want to do what I do, but we respect each other’s skills. I’m more on the business side and she is the creative, but we both love building brands and seeing concepts come to life – rapidly. I remember briefing her about a video series for Delicious, and thinking it would take a few months to crystallise. A few weeks later, she showed me the studio she’d set up outside her office, the logo she’d developed, and the first 10 videos they’d already shot. She doesn’t muck around! Another example that comes to mind is when we were launching the Delicious website, she came to the kick-off meeting with wireframes she’d sketched herself the night before, wowing (and slightly scaring) the developers.
Food, travel and health are also life-long passion points for both of us and these are the things we connect around outside of work. And we always have a lot of fun! Kerrie is fierce on the one hand but is also super fun and has an incredible sense of humour.
She makes it all look effortless but as a working mum juggles a hell of a lot which we bonded over, but it’s particularly challenging for Kerrie as one of her children has a life-threatening chronic illness, which is something she is very open about but most people wouldn’t even realise.
Kerrie also stands out as one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. She wears her heart on her sleeve, you can trust her implicitly which is why she has forged such strong relationships both personally and professionally and inspired devotion in her team. She is a breath of fresh air.
Kerrie McCallum:
I first met Fi a decade ago, when she was the publisher of the food division at News. At the time, I was editing the Sunday Style supplement in the weekend newspapers, and was invited to the Delicious Produce Awards. I told my husband I’d be home in an hour, but it was such an incredible event I ended up staying out till after midnight. About a year later, when I was made editor of Delicious – we just clicked. While Fi is my boss (and now the managing director of Food, Travel and Health), we are close personal friends, too. I think her partner, Guy, becomes annoyed at how frequently we talk and often yells at me to get off the phone to her.
She’s the business brain, I’m the emotional creative, and together we have steered so many different projects. Fi is a force of nature, and will advocate for what’s right. She pushes me to think bigger, be better and strive for great results. Every brand we’ve managed has gone on to become the leader in its category – repositioning Delicious, launching delicious.com.au, building large-scale consumer initiatives and TV shows.
It may have seemed counterintuitive to focus on the travel category during Covid, but we did. It was a tough time. Yet three years later we have achieved so much, having set up a comprehensive travel network, launched an upscale glossy magazine (Travel + Luxury in The Australian), evolved Escape into a stitch and trim product, built a TV show, and taken escape.com.au to the number-one spot.
When she asked me to do the same with Body + Soul last year, I just thought here we go again. But as much as I try to resist her at first, she is very persuasive, persistent, and usually right. Fi doesn’t miss a thing, and she’s very successful for many reasons. She’s laser-focused, honest and incredibly hard working. She’s open-minded, never judgemental and always has a sound perspective. What I love most, though, aside from the fact she is a prolific online shopper, is that we are two working mums who have a lot of laughs. I enjoy knowing I will see her at work each day.
Fiona on Kerrie:
Most memorable moment with Kerrie: So many! Kerrie will give anything a go, and that can mean launching a travel network in the middle of a global pandemic, bush walking through death adder-infested trails or late-night tropical island karaoke.
Best word to describe her: Passionate. Kerrie is passionate about making a difference and will fight for what she thinks is right, but she’s not egotistical about it. It’s always about her team or her brands, never about herself.
Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: Her commitment to always being at the airport at least two hours before a flight.
Kerrie on Fiona:
Most memorable moment with Fiona: Good memory: our karaoke festival on Magnetic Island. Challenging memory: building a travel network through lockdown.
Best word to describe her: Generous. She is always the one volunteering to pay, or tip, or help or host.
Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: Fi is always late to get to the airport or board a plane, which stresses me out when we travel together. Somehow she never misses the flight, though. Also, I can’t handle her Claytons coffee order, which is a decaf soy latte with sweetener.
If you and a colleague would like to submit your story to Dynamic Duos, please email Lauren at lmcnamara@mumbrella.com.au.
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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