The Federal Government has announced three new ABC board appointments, with former Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh, ex-Seven executive Mario D’Orazio, and Fiona Balfour joining as non-executive directors.
The five-year appointments fill the vacancies left by Kirstin Ferguson and Donny Walford, who left their positions in November, and Vanessa Guthrie, who resigned in March.
Tonagh has spent nearly 14 years in senior executive roles, across Foxtel, REA, and News Corp Australia.
He has also been a lead independent director at Village Roadshow and is the chairman of Bus Stop Films.
D’Orazio also has an extensive media background, having worked as managing director of Channel 7 Perth for eight years before leaving the position in 2019. He has since served on the board of Australia Post, Australia Council, and the WA Academy of Performing Art (WAAPA).
Balfour’s experience lies in information and communications technology, having spent time as a chief information officer at Qantas and Telstra. She has also worked in the financial services and education sectors.
Balfour, Tonagh, and D’Orazio join existing ABC chair Ita Buttrose and existing board members Peter Lewis, Georgie Somerset, and Joseph Gersh.
Speaking about the appointments, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher MP said: “I congratulate Mr D’Orazio, Mr Tonagh and Ms Balfour on their appointment and look forward to the valuable contribution they will make to the ABC Board.”