Publishing plus: Industry transformation laid bare

Ben Rudolph leads Microsoft News Labs, a program committed to helping the news industry fight fake news, tell stories that resonate with modern audiences, and succeed financially. The program has partnered with 50+ organizations, including AP, Politico EU, Vox and TEGNA, and has helped to co-create more than 100 data storytelling projects. Prior to launching the Modern Journalism program, he served as Global Director, Retail Experience, to bring Microsoft and its products to life online, in-store and in-person for 50,000+ retailers, resellers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Part of that work involved re-architecting ExpertZone, a global learning site that expanded from 275,000 users to more than 3,000,000. He joined Microsoft in 2008, after he launched Parallels and its primary product, Parallels Desktop for Mac, which runs Window software on Mac machines. A father of six and a former collegiate Rugby player, he also taught Krav Maga to the D.C. metro police for 10 years. He graduated with a B.A. in Art History from George Washington University.

Emily is the Head of Fashion and Beauty Affiliates for Marie Claire UK. She runs the digital e-commerce division, merging content with commerce, managing and overseeing the technical development of new innovate digital brands.

Growing e-commerce revenue by 300% since she joined in 2017, Emily created the Marie Claire Edit, a fashion aggregator building the brand to over 30 luxury and high street retailers worldwide in just 6 months. Previously Emily ran e-commerce at the Telegraph and has run her own fashion digital startup.

Peter Fray is a professor of journalism practice at University of Technology, Sydney and the co-director of the Centre for Media Transition, an applied research centre. He is a former editor-in-chief and publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald, editor of the Canberra Times and the Sunday Age and deputy editor of the Australian. He established the country’s first stand-alone fact-checking website, PolitiFact Australia, and in 2016 became the first Australian to be a fellow in entrepreneurial journalism at City University New York. He is the host of Fourth Estate, a weekly radio show and podcast about journalism.

Antony Catalano is Executive Chairman of Australian Community Media which he owns in partnership with one of country’s most successful investors Alex Waislitz.

ACM is the largest regional media publishing company in Australia comprising 171 newspapers and publications across the country including The Canberra Times, The Newcastle Herald, Illawarra Mercury, Border Mail and Launceston Examiner.

ACM also publishes 135 websites and is one of Australia’s largest printing operations with 9 print centres around the country. ACM prints its own publications but has large external printing contracts including The Age, The Australian Financial Review along with a number of News Limited publications.
He is the former Domain Group Chief Executive and an experienced property sector entrepreneur with a wealth of experience in real estate media services and has an impressive track record in driving business success.
In 2010 after an extensive career in journalism, sales, marketing and circulation he founded Metro Media Publishing Pty Ltd (MMP) serving as CEO and Publisher, pioneering the highly-effective ‘agent equity’ model and published 32 titles and more than 1 million magazines each week.
He returned to Fairfax in 2013 when MMP was partially purchased as part of Fairfax’s investment in Domain. In the ensuing four years as CEO he steered Domain’s growth from a $200m enterprise to its $2.3bn valuation on float in November 2017.

He is also Chairman of The Today Business – a national media agency with a focus on digital solutions launched earlier this year in partnership with a group of highly experienced media industry executives.
He is an Executive Director at Tomorrow Agency and Media Plus – Australia’s largest real estate focussed creative and media agency which opened its doors more than 40 years ago.
He was an early stage investor and remains a board member of Updater – the highly successful relocation tech company based in New York which floated on the ASX in December 2015. Outside of media he owns and operates hotels including Australia’s most iconic boutique hotel, Raes on Wategos in Byron Bay.

He is married to wife Stefanie and has 9 children.

Christine has been with the McPherson Media Group since 2001. A late starter to the media industry and with no formal education, she literally began her career from the front of the building as the receptionist. Like any apprentice who starts from the ground and works their way up, she has hands-on experience in most areas of publishing. As well as receptionist, her other roles have included reporter, features co-ordinator, free weekly publication editor, Shepparton News deputy editor, circulation manager, marketing manager and audience development manager. She even had a stab at selling advertising space. She is now the Director of Content & Audience for the McPherson Media Group.
Christine manages the group’s news teams who produce content for 14 Victorian and southern NSW newspapers and websites, as well three national agricultural products.

This year the organization went through one of its biggest newsroom transformations – well, at least since they changed from typewriters to computers – moving from print-first to audience-first content production.
Christine played a key role in leading the newsroom transformation, which included structural change, changes to staff roles and responsibilities, new system implementations, changes to deadlines and new KPIs.
Reviewing processes, adjusting and testing, as well as identifying skill shortages is still in motion and is sure to continue for many months.

Marina Go​ is Chair of Suncorp Super Netball and Ovarian Cancer Australia, a non-executive director of Energy Australia, Autosports Group, 7-Eleven, Pro-Pac, and The Walkley Foundation, Chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre For Media Transition at the University of Technology Sydney, a director of PWC’s Diversity Advisory Board, and author of the business book for women, ​Break Through: 20 Success Strategies for Female Leaders​. Boss m​ agazine named her as one of 20 True Leaders of 2016. Marina has over 25 years of leadership experience in the media industry, having started her career as a journalist. She is a founder of the female leadership website Women’s Agenda and food magazine disruptor Australian Good Taste, a former Editor-in-chief of ELLE and Dolly magazines and Crikey Publisher. Marina is the former Chair of the Wests Tigers NRL Club and Private Media CEO. She has an MBA from The Australian Graduate School of Management and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Part of Nic’s role is to help drive Google’s support of innovation in journalism in Australia, including engagement with newsrooms, publishers and industry groups. Prior to this role he worked for 20 years as a journalist at News Corp and CNN including six years as digital editor at The Australian, during which time he was the editorial lead on the creation of News Corp’s first digital paywall in Australia. Nic has also worked for News Corp in New York and Sydney on projects spanning tablet and mobile publishing, metro subscriptions and native advertising. He began his career at The Advertiser in Adelaide and also worked as a reporter at The Australian and The Times of London.

Ben May is the Managing Director of The Code Company, an Australian technical agency that specialises in high-end WordPress solutions. The Code Company helps businesses plan, develop, and deploy effective WordPress websites that perform seamlessly.

As a technical founder, Ben works with clients from start to finish with a strategic consulting perspective that comes from being a fellow business owner. He and the team bring collective expertise in all aspects of large-scale enterprise WordPress development projects.

The Code Company works with a wide range of publishers of all different shapes and sizes with different challenges, which results in a unique perspective when it comes to the technical challenges of publishers, and being able to proactively suggest solutions.

David joined Fairfax Media in April 2014 as Manager of Group Strategy where he was involved in a number of projects that contributed to the turn-around in the Fairfax business including the investment in Stan; the merger of Fairfax Radio with Macquarie Media; and, developing plans to transition to a sustainable, digitally-led business model for the Metro media brands. In early 2017, he became Chief of Staff to the Managing Director and in September 2018 I stepped into the Director of Subscriptions and Growth position.

David is also a director at The Ethics Centre.

Brendan Collogan is an accomplished senior executive with experience across a broad range of industries including media, banking, retail and insurance. He is currently General Manager, Digital Consumer Revenue at News Corp Australia.

At News Corp Australia, he is accountable for driving digital subscription growth across all news titles and leads a range of functions including proposition development, pricing, customer engagement, data science and a new division called content-led growth.

Prior to News Corp Australia he held senior roles at Westpac Banking Corporation and David Jones Limited.

Vivienne Kelly is the editor of Mumbrella. Throughout her career she has worked as a journalist and editor across a number of consumer and B2B finance and real estate titles. She has also spent time in public relations across the health, finance and energy sectors.

Jane Waterhouse is the General Manager of Bauer Media’s Story 54 – Bauer’s Award Winning commercial storytelling division for women.  Jane is the former CEO of We Magazines, publisher of The Hoopla, and Managing Director of marketing and publishing company Sister. Waterhouse has also held senior editorial roles and marketing roles at ACP Magazines on titles such as The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day and Weight Watchers.

With over 20 years’ experience in media and content marketing Simon Smith joined News Corp Australia in March 2017 to launch the company’s content agency, Suddenly. As executive director, content marketing at News Corp and as head of Suddenly, Mr Smith is responsible for the content marketing strategy and initiatives across multiple platforms to drive new revenue and partnerships. He works closely with News Corp Australia’s established content marketing, custom publishing and commercial content businesses across the country. Mr Smith joined News from Fairfax Media where he was managing director of their content marketing division for three years and during this time he launched their in-house content marketing studio. Mr Smith has worked in the Australian media industry across commercial, marketing, editorial, radio, television, print, events and digital, holding numerous senior positions with News Corp Australia and PBL. He was also on the board of NewsMediaWorks. As an industry expert he is regularly invited to present at events and conferences around the country on content marketing.

Hannah Blackiston is the senior media reporter of Mumbrella. Throughout her career she has worked as a journalist and deputy editor across a number of titles in the business and real estate sectors. She has also spent time on consumer titles writing lifestyle and travel content.

Former artist manager and record label A&R, Luke Girgis is the CEO of Australia’s largest music media publisher Seventh Street Media. He also manages influencers Simone Giertz and Christian Hull.

Tamsin is the General Manager at Private Media, and Publisher of its flagship publication, Crikey. With her roots firmly embedded in people development and culture, Tamsin has led teams and coached executives in the legal and finance sectors and is now part of a small team leading the strategic direction of Australia’s most renowned independent digital media company.

Writer, Publisher, Professional Message-maker and keen hiker Janice Williams has made a career from understanding how to communicate in high-value target markets.

How we communicate influences how others see our businesses, brands and products. In the age of DIY media, learning how to develop story, use imagery, and brand by association can have a major impact on how products are perceived and understood. Williams can present on communication, marketing, brand and digital marketing. She is an expert in slow media, and the trials of gaining mind share in a distracted and fragmented media age.

Janice Williams is available for bespoke presentations on communications for industries where she operates as a producer of campaigns and media products – home, outdoor, food and wellbeing.

Hannah Blackiston is the senior media reporter of Mumbrella. Throughout her career she has worked as a journalist and deputy editor across a number of titles in the business and real estate sectors. She has also spent time on consumer titles writing lifestyle and travel content.

After a stint in law, Dominic decided to put his media and legal qualifications to better work in advertising. Starting at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne he quickly became interested in the ideas behind the ideas. Since becoming a strategic planner Dominic has worked in many of Australia’s leading creative agencies across multiple brands including NAB, the Victorian Government, EnergyAustralia, Tourism Australia and Coca Cola.

Dominic has a particular interest in the intersection of creativity, branding and behavioural science and has worked extensively applying behaviour change theory to a variety of communications challenges. Dominic is currently head brand thinker at Thinkerbell where he helps to lead the agency’s strategic and behavioural science offerings.

Tim is the Publisher and Co-Founder of Junkee Media, Australia’s leading publisher for young Australians and one of Australia’s most innovative new media companies.

Tim was named #1 on Startup Daily’s Young & Influential list and has been working in the digital space for over a decade, specialising in digital and content strategy, and the growing intersection between brands and consumers.

Tim also sits on the Boards of Hello Sunday Morning, the largest online movement for alcohol change in the world, and the Griffin Theatre Company, Australia’s new writing theatre.

Award-winning journalist and multi-media content producer with more than two decades of
industry experience.

NOW
Executive Producer – 7NEWS Digital
We launched the website in April 2019. That included hiring the team and creating the content
from scratch.
With a clear focus on connection, conversation and community, I lead a team of 23 experienced
and talented journalists across Australia covering breaking news and creating original content.
In July 2019 Nielsen Digital Content Ratings (DCR) shows 7NEWS.com.au reach UA of 6M
Australians.

THEN
Senior Producer (Live and VOD)/Platform partnerships – NextVR
Prior to 7NEWS, I worked for virtual reality start-up NextVR in Los Angeles leading a partnership
with Oculus Venues – a live VR experience available in 30+ countries. Oculus is a Facebook
company.

BEFORE
Senior International Producer – 60 Minutes, Nine Network
Before NextVR I worked for 60 Minutes for almost 10 years as the senior international producer
based in Los Angeles.
During that time I covered many international events including the Iraq War, Ebola outbreak,
Japan Tsunami, Pakistan elections, September 11 and Olympic Games.
My experience also includes working on network documentaries and in the control room as a
line-up producer putting live programs to air.

EVENTS/STORIES COVERED AS A FIELD PRODUCER
Ebola Crisis – Sierra Leone
Japan Tsunami. (visiting Fukushima and Chernobyl)

First Australian crew into Bangladesh clothing factories after collapse
Underground with America’s nukes
Life on Death Row
Pakistan Elections – Peshawar/Islamabad
Sydney Olympics, Sydney 2000
September 11, New York 2001
September 11 Anniversary, New York 2002
Commonwealth Games, Manchester UK 200
Bali Bombings, Indonesia 2002
Bali Bombings Anniversary, Indonesia 2003
Iraq War, Kuwait and Iraq 2003
Asian Tsunami 2004

AWARDS
LA Press Club – 2016 Best News Feature, ‘Divided States of America’
LA Press Club – 2016 2nd Place, Investigative, ‘Life from Death Row’
UN Media Award – 2016 Nomination, ‘Urban Soldiers: Inside Chicago’s War’
Amnesty Media Awards – 2015 Nomination, ‘Divided States of America’
Logie Award Nomination – Outstanding Public Affairs Report 2010, ‘Rising from the Ashes’

Chris Petzoldt is Partner and Managing Director Oceania at Simon-Kucher & Partners.

Chris has more than 18 years of global consulting experience. He mainly worked in the areas of monetisation strategies (portfolio, pricing, sales) for telecoms, software / internet and media clients. He has conducted more than 100 projects in that space across Australia, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Oceania and South America for companies such as:

AGL, Axiata, Ebay, Deputy.com, Fairfax, Foxtel, Indosat, KPN, Optus, Singtel, Sky, Spark, Telefonica, T-Mobile, TradeMe, Vodafone, Xero and many others

Chris opened Simon-Kucher’s Australia operations in 2011 and is a regular presenter at conferences around the world e.g. for DB Access, Marcus Evans, NeoEdge, Salvo, GSMA Asia, Zuora Subscribed and others

Chris studied business administration at the University of Kiel and at the School of Business and Commercial Law Gothenburg, Sweden. He majored in Innovation Management and Marketing. His degree dissertation focused on willingness to pay functions of interactive television users.

Dan Stinton is Guardian Australia’s managing director. He leads the publisher’s commercial strategy, with responsibility for revenues and operations across advertising and other areas. Prior to this role, Stinton was head of digital at Seven West Media, managing digital products and technology across Seven West Media’s Western Australian business including The West Australian, Perth Now and 7 Perth. He previously held senior roles at Yahoo7, the joint venture between global internet company Yahoo and Seven West Media, and as general manager of RTRFM, a Perth-based community radio station. He is also the co-founder of eBev, a successful digital startup in the beverage industry. Dan began his career as a journalist, writing and editing for a range of news and lifestyle publications.

Neil is the founder and CEO of Junkee Media, Australia’s leading Youth publisher and branded content agency, and also the Chief Content & Creative Officer of oOh!media, Australia’s leading out-of-home company (Junkee Media’s parent company).

Neil is an experienced entrepreneur and leader with a track record of building businesses at the intersection of where culture and commercial creativity collide.

Rebecca Costello is the chief executive of Schwartz Media, a role she has held since 2006. Rebecca leads the commercial strategy, with responsibility for revenues, operations and marketing. Rebecca has led Schwartz Media through times of significant change across the media landscape, including the digital transition. During Rebecca’s time Schwartz Media has launched various new products, the most significant being the 2014 launch of The Saturday Paper and the recent launch of daily news podcast 7am.

Prior to this role, Rebecca was the commercial director at AFL Publishing (now AFL Media), establishing and managing the commercial strategy on behalf of the Australian Football League. Rebecca was previously managing director and co-founder of the Sydney-based full-service agency specialising in the young adult market, Schmooze Media. Rebecca has also held senior roles at The Age and Text Media.

Nicholas Gray is Managing Director of The Australian, NSW & Prestige Titles. He was first appointed CEO of The Australian in 2013, and has been responsible for top and bottom line improvements fuelled by digital subscription growth and an expanded focus on digital products. His role expanded to include the Prestige Titles in 2018 and all NSW titles in 2019.

He joined News Corp in 2012 following the acquisition of Business Spectator, of which he was GM and Publisher. Before this Nicholas was CFO / Strategy Director and then National Sales Director at ninemsn. Prior to this, Nicholas worked on corporate strategy at Lion Nathan and was an investment banker at Citigroup in London and Tokyo and Macquarie in Sydney. He is a non-executive director of the University of New South Wales Foundation board, Medium Rare, Society One and the Community Newspaper Group.

Chris leads Nine’s digital and publishing business, which includes The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, nine.com.au, 9Now, Pedestrian Group and New Zealand’s Stuff Limited. He was previously the founding CEO of HuffPost Australia, the founding CEO of Allure Media and held senior roles at News Limited and Endemol Southern Star. Chris sits on the boards of the International News Media Association, Australian Associated Press, CarAdvice, Weatherzone and NewsMediaWorks.

Tim Burrowes is the Founder and Content Director at Mumbrella. Prior to Mumbrella, he was group editor of Reed Business Information’s Media Group, including editor of B&T. Before coming to Australia, Tim was the launch editor of the Middle Eastern edition of Campain magazine, and in his previous role to that, he was editor of Media Week in the UK. He was twice named the British Society Magazine Editors’ business editor of the year.