Emma Alberici joins Compare the Market in comms and government relations role
Shortly after departing the ABC as part of the national broadcaster’s round of redundancies, Emma Alberici has joined insurance comparison website, Compare the Market, as chief strategy, government relations, and communications officer.
The former chief economics correspondent had a very public exit from the ABC, which ended up in the Fair Work Commission. She took aim at her employer of 18 years and its news director Gaven Morris in a series of since-deleted tweets, and promised she would no longer appear on TV because it’s “too painful to be in the public eye”.
“My psychologist, who I have been seeing every day since the ABC made my position redundant, says I am suffering anxiety,” she later tweeted.
She starts her new role with fintech company Compare the Market – which has a local team of 250 – on Monday as part of the senior executive team, reporting to chief executive Rob Clancy.
“I’m thrilled to be joining a multinational company that remains agile enough to innovate and evolve according to the consumer needs of the regions in which it operates,” Alberici said.
Compare the Market is part of BHL Group, which also runs comparison businesses in the UK, South Africa, Turkey, France, and Thailand. The Australian operation was established in 2012.
Clancy added that Alberici’s “30 years’ experience as a respected business reporter” will allow her to “analyse key market dynamics, identify strategic opportunities, and engage with a wide range of regulatory and governmental stakeholders”.
“We have significant ambitions for the Australian business – not only to be the biggest comparison service locally, but also to match our UK counterpart’s market share and success,” he said.
“Emma is the ultimate consumer champion – there is a real cultural alignment between her beliefs and our own. Compare the Market is proud of the service it provides for consumers and positions itself as the gold standard of comparison services. We believe Emma’s skillset and new lens will help refine our consumer offering and drive positive change across the industry as a whole.”
In 2018, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made a complaint about Alberici over a story she wrote about the government’s research and innovation spending. Later that year, managing director Michelle Guthrie was sacked, and a leaked dossier showed that chair Justin Milne had asked her to “get rid” of Alberici because the government “hate her” and “We need to save the ABC – not Emma”.
Fast forward two years, and Alberici’s exit was part of a sweeping round of up to 250 redundancies, including more than 80 from the news division, to meet a budget shortfall. The industry’s union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, is taking the ABC to the Fair Work Commission over allegations the broadcaster could have underpaid redundancy entitlements.
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Have more information on the article? Want to share an opinion? Just want to reach out? Email Brittney on brittney@mumbrella.com.au or get in touch via LinkedIn.
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Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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