TVNZ's new chief news and content officer Nadia Tolich.
TVNZ's new chief news and content officer Nadia Tolich.
The head of Stuff’s digital news operation has quit to fill one of New Zealand media’s most influential and important new executive roles.
Nadia Tolich is TVNZ’s new chief news and content officer, an all-encompassing news and programming role on the state broadcaster’s executive team.
As well as ultimate responsibilityfor TVNZ’s newsroom, she will be overseeing all of the broadcaster’s programming content and international contracts.
Tolich’s new role was announced by TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell on Thursday afternoon, alongside two other executive appointments.
TVNZ chief executive Jodi O'Donnell. Photo / Michael Craig
Rob Hutchinson will take on the role of chief digital officer in a permanent capacity from May 1 and Bernadette Kelly is joining in a new role of chief people and corporate officer.
Tolich has been managing director of Stuff Digital for the past two years and its chief audio officer for 12 months before that. Prior to joining Stuff, she held senior editorial roles at the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB.
The writing was on the wall on Thursday when Stuff issued a gushing press release about its website’s monthly audience numbers – and left Tolich’s name off.
She has been responsible for leading Stuff’s digital newsroom and its results, and she was a key figure in Stuff’s successful bid to produce and broadcast Three’s 6pm news, following the closure of Newshub last year.
On the basis that she is off to TVNZ – and therefore in direct competition with Three – sources believe she is unlikely to be seen any longer at Stuff.
Tolich has yet to comment.
She inherits a TVNZ newsroom that has been through massive change itself over the past 12 months, and she will be part of a new-look executive team embracing a five-year digital-first strategy.
TVNZ, like other commercial media companies, has had to make a range of cost cuts over the past year, while battling declining advertising revenues in a tight economy.
In TVNZ’s case, it has ditched long-running shows such as Sunday and Fair Go, and its staff numbers are now understood to be just over 500, compared with more than 700 two years ago.
When approached early on Thursday afternoon, a TVNZ spokeswoman said the broadcaster expected to make an announcement about new executive appointments next week.
But that was later brought forward to this afternoon.
O’Donnell told TVNZ staff of Tolich’s appointment: “This is a really important role for our business and I’m excited to have someone with Nadia’s skills and experience joining us.”
In a press release, she said: “Nadia is a skilled leader with a strong media background. She cares deeply about New Zealand audiences and understands what they want.
“She has demonstrated leadership in changing media environments, and this will be crucial in helping TVNZ to transform to a digital-first business while keeping viewers at the heart of what we do.”
Tolich’s start date would be confirmed shortly, said O’Donnell.
Sources believe Stuff might well hold Tolich to a restraint of trade.
To create the new executive position, TVNZ combined the roles of chief content officer and news and current affairs executive editor.
Chief content officer Nevak Rogers left the organisation in late March, while news and current affairs executive editor Phil O’Sullivan has retained the most senior, specific newsroom leadership role, reporting now to Tolich.
TVNZ has been through a raft of changes in the past 12 months. Photo / RNZ
Several candidates had been speculated as contenders for the new executive role.
As well as Tolich, they included former SBS and Foxtel executive and current Sky TV contractor Marshall Heald and former NZ Rugby Commercial chief executive Craig Fenton.
Heald, a New Zealander, spent 14 years at Australian public broadcaster SBS before leaving there in December 2021 to join Foxtel. His LinkedIn profile lists him as being at Foxtel from February 2022 until September 2024. It is understood he has been working as a content strategy consultant for Sky TV.
O’Donnell said the three new executive appointments were exciting.
Hutchinson had been an integral part of TVNZ’s leadership team since he joined the business in 2021, “spearheading major revenue and data initiatives for TVNZ+”.
“As acting chief digital officer, Hutchinson has been leading TVNZ’s major technology investment programme, which will modernise the business’ core infrastructure.”
Bernadette Kelly, meanwhile, had “extensive executive leadership experience across both private and government-owned organisations, most recently as chief people, safety and reputation officer at Pāmu Farms.”
Before that, she held senior leadership positions at a range of organisations, including Air New Zealand and New Zealand Lotteries.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME, including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
