Nine’s top communications and public relations executive has been made redundant one week into acting chief executive Matt Stanton’s tenure and ahead of the imminent public release of the independent report into cultural issues at the media company.
Victoria Buchan will leave Nine at the end of November after Stanton, the company’s former chief strategy and financial officer, deemed her position surplus to requirements. Nine is currently searching for a new regulatory lead after those matters were previously led by former chair Peter Costello.
Nine’s top communications executive Victoria Buchan will depart after nearly 15 years.Credit: Joe Armao
“Today Vic and I have agreed terms for her to leave the business as we go about restructuring the corporate roles to create a much-needed Regulatory specialist lead for the business,” Stanton said in an internal note on Monday.
Her departure is the latest in a growing line of exits at the media company that owns the Nine Network, streaming service Stan, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review, a number of talkback radio stations and a majority stake in digital real estate business Domain.
Nine is not only bracing for the fallout of the cultural review, led by independent specialists Intersection but is also gearing up for its annual pitch to advertisers next week.
Nine’s executive suite will be significantly different from when it made that same pitch for advertising dollars last year, after the scandal and exit of director of news and current affairs Darren Wick, who was accused of drunken lecherous behaviour in May, which subsequently triggered a domino of departures.
Nine’s outgoing head of publicity Vic Buchan.Credit: Janie Barrett
Former Treasurer Peter Costello resigned in June shortly after allegedly pushing over a reporter from The Australian in Canberra Airport after the Wick scandal erupted. Deputy chair Catherine West was then elevated to chair, and only months later, chief executive Mike Sneesby stepped down, marking the first major executive departure under West’s tenure.
Buchan’s redundancy may be the first in a series of cost-cutting moves made by Stanton, according to some senior figures at Nine not authorised to speak publicly. Stanton has been appointed to the chief executive role on an interim basis until a permanent successor to Sneesby is found. Nine is also searching for two new board directors.