Ned Lander will step down from his position as General Manager of SBS Independent (SBSi) in December to return to the independent production sector.
Ned will retain close links with SBS as a consultant and will continue to manage several high profile productions including the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? and the series First Australian Nations which will chronicle Australia’s Indigenous history.
During his six years at SBS Ned has made a significant contribution to both the quality and quantity of Australian content supported by the corporation.
Ned started at SBS as a commissioning editor of documentaries before becoming Deputy General Manager SBSi and then General Manager of SBSi from 2006.
He has overseen the commissioning of highly successful and award winning documentaries such as Dying to Leave, The President v David Hicks, Divorce Stories; series such as Desperately Seeking Sheila, The Colony and Going Bush; ground-breaking dramas such as The Circuit and East West 101 and feature films such as Ten Canoes.
SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Matt Campbell said:
‘Ned has been a great asset to the network and during his tenure as General Manager of SBSi more local content has been commissioned than at any other time in SBS’s history.
‘Everyone at SBS wishes Ned all the best for his new ventures and looks forward to his continued association with the network in his new capacity of consultant. His considerable experience will be invaluable.
‘SBS continues to be committed to increasing the level of quality Australian content by commissioning original documentaries, series and dramas from the independent production sector.’
Ned will step down as General Manager SBSi on December 14.
[release from SBS]