Redundancies and promotions at Nine as ‘sales transformation’ is completed
Nine has finished its planned sales transformation, resulting in a number of promotions across the business, but also some exits, including Penny Kaleta, Nine’s director of sales across radio.
Kaleta joined the business in December 2019 as the business moved through its acquisition of Macquarie Media. Michael Stephenson, Nine’s chief sales officer, said Nine’s loss would be someone else’s gain.
Nine has completed its sales restructure
“Penny has been fantastic during her time at Nine. In the short time she has been with us she has fully integrated our radio team into the Nine family and reintroduced Nine Radio to the market at large. She has done an outstanding job and she has become a great friend,” Stephenson said.
“I’m very sad that she will be leaving us. Our loss will be someone else’s gain and I can’t wait to see who is lucky enough to have Penny in their team.”
Kaleta has been Nine’s director of sales for radio
Nine now has a fully integrated cross-platform structure which it says will provide more opportunities for advertisers across the brand’s assets.
As part of the changes, Richard Hunwick assumes responsibility for the television and radio sales teams, while Nick Young will have the responsibility for Nine’s digital and publishing sales teams, as well as Nine’s data strategy. Hunwick and Young will both report to Stephenson.
The sales teams will be integrated and aligned under a director of sales in each state. Paul Brooks (Sydney), Sam Brennan (Melbourne), Rebecca Lawrie (Brisbane), Sean O’Brien (Adelaide) and Clive Bingwa (Perth) will lead Nine’s state-based sales teams across the country.
Stephenson said the changes were not only driven by the current pandemic.
“There is no doubt that COVID-19 has impacted our lives and our economy in a way that few if any of us have ever seen,” said Stephenson.
“However, today’s changes are not driven solely by the impact of the global health crisis on our economy and our industry, rather by the need to create a structure that will allow us to create more innovative marketing platforms for new and emerging categories, to better service the needs of our clients in a more integrated fashion across television, digital, publishing and radio.
“As we navigate ourselves towards the ‘new normal’ there will be enormous opportunity for those that are willing to think differently and challenge the way things have always been done. We are ready. We have the most unique assets, the most senior team, and we now have a fully integrated structure that will make it even easier for our clients to use our content, data and technology to sell more of their products and services.”
Stephenson: We are ready for the new normal
The new sales structure sees Nine’s group business directors (GBD) become the single point of contact for all of Nine’s advertising partners. Each GBD will be responsible for a media agency buying group or independent agency and lead a television, digital, publishing and a radio sales team.
Nine+, led by Tim Rose, will be expanded to create a “super group” focused on Australia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Direct sales teams in TV, digital, publishing and radio will align under the Nine+ brand and the development of 9Voyager, Nine’s self-serve platform, will be fast-tracked to include both radio and podcasts alongside TV and 9Now.
Liana Dubois will remain director of Powered and Warwick Sharp is director of sales operations under the new structure.
Chris Nardi moves to the newly created role of director of client partnerships for publishing, overseeing Nine’s team of specialists in key client verticals across travel, luxury, education, recruitment, finance, technology and classifieds.
“Chris has a unique background in publishing. His passion, experience and insight together with our category experts will be the key to unlocking the opportunities within our publishing brands as advertisers turn to channels and brands they can trust,” said Stephenson.
topics
Chris Nardi
Liana Dubois
Michael Stephenson
Nick Young
Nine
Nine radio
Penny Kaleta
Richard Hunwick
Tim Rose
So Im confused. She got the role of Director of Radio Sales (despite no previous Radio or TV experience. It has been barely 5 months and a transformation is done and she is out the door? There is surely something more to this?
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its called FairWork and probation.
Sadly many businesses across Aus have had to let go the people that just started, simply due to the financial cost of having to make people redundant being far less damaging when applied to new starters, despite their capability.
The typically uncommon high praise comment in a press release should be testament to Kaleta’s capability. It shows they at least had heart and wanted to give her their recommendation for someone to pick her up if they can. Your (brackets based theory) is the most egregious part of this article.
Do you know something we don’t? Or are you someone who likes to write into New Idea?
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This isn’t an exhaustive list of redundancies because three much loved former FFX’ers have been shown the door. Nine GBD’s who were former FFX’ers have also now been demoted to sit under Nine GBD’s.
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All feels a bit personal….
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