Media Movers: Samantha Armytage, Vanessa Picken, Matthew Carney, and Jeremy Hogg
Plus: Sofie Formica, Grant Toupes, and Lorainne Woods.
Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.
Sony Music Australia and New Zealand boss Vanessa Picken is stepping down after almost three years in the top job, with the company confirming her departure today.
Picken, who served as CEO and Chair, is understood to be finishing up effective immediately.
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Foxtel’s new owners have moved quickly to reshape the pay TV and streaming business, with former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Amaysim founder Peter O’Connell joining the board under DAZN’s oversight.
It follows DAZN’s $3.4 billion buyout from News Corp and Telstra earlier this year, marking one of the most significant ownership shifts in Australian media in a decade.
Four Corners executive producer Matthew Carney has resigned after the program’s 2025 season wrapped, ending a three-year tenure at the ABC’s flagship investigative unit.
He will remain in role until a replacement is appointed, with the broadcaster emphasising the decision is not connected to an ongoing internal probe into one of the program’s reporters.
Samantha Armytage will join Nova’s Michael “Wippa” Wipfli to host Today over summer – a move that comes after speculation she had sights set on the permanent chair alongside Karl Stefanovic.
Instead of a full-time breakfast TV comeback, Armytage will front the show for a holiday run, stepping in while Stefanovic and Sarah Abo take their annual break.
Mamamia welcomes Michila Macleod as the new Head of Agency Sales - Victoria, strengthening the publisher’s growing national sales leadership team.
The appointment forms part of a wider expansion of Mamamia’s senior commercial structure, which last month was joined by Lanai Wiadrowski as NSW Sales Director and Jess Steliou as Head of Sales – WA.
M+C Saatchi Group ANZ has appointed Jeremy Hogg as national executive creative director, bolstering the group’s creative leadership across Australia and New Zealand.
Hogg joins from Howatson+Company, where he spent four years helping to build the independent agency into one of Australia’s most awarded.
Zero Digital Sports has appointed veteran sports journalist Mark Stevens as managing editor, further bolstering its editorial leadership across its network of independent sports titles.
Stevens joins from Channel Seven, where he served as chief AFL reporter, and brings more than three decades of experience in Australian sports media.
Omnicom Media Group Australia has made two major internal leadership moves, naming Laura Nice as CEO of PHD Australia and Sian Whitnall as sole CEO of OMD Australia.
The pair previously steered OMD together, delivering double-digit growth and top-tier client satisfaction over four years in one of the most competitive markets in media.
Atomic 212° has elevated long-time executive Lorraine Woods to the newly created role of Chief Investment & Operations Officer, reporting directly to CEO Rory Heffernan.
Effective immediately, Woods will oversee operational excellence across Atomic 212°’s national footprint, integrating emerging technology, optimising resources, and ensuring process consistency across its offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin and Adelaide.
Hotwire Global has appointed Grant Toups as its new Global Chief Executive Officer, marking the start of a new chapter for the communications and marketing consultancy as it celebrates 25 years in business.
Toups will officially step into the role in January 2026, bringing over two decades of experience across public relations, digital innovation, and marketing transformation.
4BC has announced its new breakfast duo, pairing Dean Miller and Sofie Formica from January 19, after confirming that Peter Fegan has finished up as host of 4BC Breakfast.
The shake-up comes as Nine’s Brisbane talk station looks to strengthen its mornings following the latest radio ratings, which showed the breakfast slot slipping to a 3.6% share (down from 4.1%).
