News Limited COO Peter Macourt to step down

Tim Burrowes

December 12, 2011 1:42

The changing of the guard in News Limited’s senior ranks has continued with the departure announced today of chief operating officer Peter Macourt.

The moves comes less than a week after CEO John Hartigan’s last day at the company. New CEO Kim Williams said: “By any measure Peter has been an outstanding executive for News Limited. Over the past decade Peter has been responsible for overall operating management of the company’s complex and diverse operations and he has done so with great distinction.

”As well as providing leadership for our major commercial strategies, strategic planning, budgeting and financial management for the group, Peter has been instrumental in all of the company’s major acquisitions, divestments and a number of new business initiatives over that time.”

Macourt joined the company in 1983 in the finance department. He was appointed chief financial officer and to the board of News Limited in 1994. He became deputy chief executive in 1998 and COO in 2001.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.