Ninemsn Key Appointments

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

National Sales Director and Director, Content & Audience Experience Roles Announced

Sydney, Australia, Wednesday 19 August 2009: Ninemsn today announced that Nicholas Gray has been appointed to the role of National Sales Director and Todd Forest has been appointed as ninemsn's new Director, Content & Audience Experience.

Nicholas has been Head of Strategy at ninemsn since January 2007, leading the strategy, business development, audience insights, legal and finance functions. He is also on the board of two of ninemsn's investment companies, iSelect and RateCity. Assuming the role of National Sales Director, Nicholas will report into Kerry McCabe, ninemsn's Commercial Director, and will be responsible for managing all of ninemsn's Australian sales teams covering display, performance, video and mobile.

Kerry McCabe, ninemsn's Commercial Director, said: "The digital market requires strong and experienced leaders and after a three-month, global search I am confident we have secured the strongest person for the role. Nicholas is an exceptional strategic talent and his expert knowledge of the digital sector will ensure a smooth transition for our team and clients."

"It's an exciting time to be working in digital media in Australia and I'm delighted to be joining ninemsn’s commercial team. I look forward to working closely with Kerry to develop new opportunities for advertisers to engage with ninemsn’s growing audience," Nicholas Gray said.

Todd Forest will manage ninemsn's content team in the newly created position of Director, Content and Audience Experience. Todd brings over 18 years experience to the role within content development and delivery, audience insights, marketing, brand building and the operation of digital consumer businesses. Todd has spent 7 years working with AOL in the US, most recently as VP of AOL's Media Networks, and has also held the positions of General Manager (APAC) with Jobfox and Strategic Planner with Nike Inc. in the US. As part of ninemsn's Executive Team, Todd will report directly into Joe Pollard in her role as CEO.

Joe Pollard, ninemsn CEO, said: "Todd has proven ability in leading product innovation, understanding consumer needs and motivating team members and we are delighted to welcome him to the ninemsn team. Todd brings with him a wealth of international experience in developing great digital content and an innovative and strategic approach for our business. Todd’s focus will be on overseeing audience and increasing engagement across ninemsn and given the importance of his remit, we have also doubled our internal resources in research."

"Developing innovative content that really connects with consumers is something I'm extremely passionate about. I'm thrilled with my appointment at ninemsn and look forward to creating even more engaging consumer experiences for our audience," Todd Forest said.

Nicholas Gray will assume the role of National Sales Director and Todd Forest will join ninemsn as Director, Content & Audience Experience on Monday 24th August 2009.

-ENDS-