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Network 10 CEO Paul Anderson steps down

Paul Anderson.

Paul Anderson. 

Paul Anderson has resigned as CEO of Network 10 and the executive vice president of ViacomCBS Network International’s Australia and New Zealand operations.

Anderson’s move is effective immediately, but he has agreed to stay in his role in the interim to help oversee the company’s transition to a new management structure. He will not be replaced, with ViacomANZ instead planning to appoint co-leads for the business.

As part of that new structure, Network 10 chief content officer Beverley McGarvey has been promoted to the new role of chief content officer and EVP, ViacomCBS ANZ. The company will also recruit a co-lead who will have oversight of all the combined company’s commercial activities and operations in both markets. Both will report to Maria Kyriacou, president of ViacomCBS’s operations in Australia and the UK.

Anderson was with Network 10 for almost two decades, and had been CEO since 2015. He was additionally appointed to lead ViacomCBS’ ANZ operations in January, following on from the Viacom and CBS merger in December last year that saw the CBS-owned Network 10 integrated into ViacomCBS Networks International.

Anderson said: “The past 17 years at Network 10 have been the best years of my professional life. I have worked with some extraordinary people – both in front of and behind the camera – and have been given some amazing opportunities. Now it’s time for me to try something different and eventually look for new opportunities and experiences.

“Thanks to the hard work, passion and professionalism of everyone at Network 10, and now as part of ViacomCBS, the business is extremely well placed for the future. The combination of Network 10 and ViacomCBS is a real game-changer in the Australian market, creating a unique and powerful media group that owns some of the most innovative entertainment and media brands locally and globally.

“I’m very excited about the future of Network 10 and about what the future holds for me and my family.”

Additionally, ViacomCBS ANZ has appointed Henriette Rothschild as interim chief transformation officer. Rothschild is a partner at the advisory and investment firm KordaMentha and a former role COO at iSelect and regional MD of the Hay Group.

Kyriacou said: “Network 10 has performed very well this year, with 11 consecutive weeks of audience share growth. We want to build on that momentum, while at the same time leveraging the powerful ViacomCBS brands and assets from both a content and revenue perspective.

“I would like to thank Paul for his leadership of Network 10; it is a credit to him and his team that the business has continued to compete and evolve despite the inevitable distractions that have come with recent changes in ownership. I’m grateful for the ongoing support he has offered me to help the business transition to a new management team and structure.

“Beverley is an experienced creative leader with a great track record of serving local audiences. She shares my excitement about the extra dimension that ViacomCBS’s ownership can bring to our business in Australia and I’m looking forward to working with her, Henriette and the rest of the senior leadership team to realise those benefits.

“The appointment of Henriette reflects the work we are undertaking to ensure the merged Network 10 and ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand businesses are well positioned for the future.”