SBS has appointed media executive Kathryn Fink as director of television, filling the position left vacant by Marshall Heald.
Fink brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the role, having spent time in Los Angeles, New York, and Hong Kong.
She was most recently general manager of media for the Walt Disney Company in Italy, where she was responsible for Disney+, PayTV channels, original content production, and content sales up until 2021.
Her career has also included a stint as managing director at the Fox Networks Group in Italy, during which she played a key role in the launch of Sky Italia in 2003, going to oversee a range of original productions, including Romanzo Criminale, Fiorello Show, as well as the launch of Sky Uno — the platform’s primary entertainment channel.
Fink said she felt very privileged to join an organisation like SBS.
“I am excited by the prospect of working with the talented and dedicated team to continue to deliver innovative, world-class content that explores, challenges and celebrates contemporary Australia, with the most distinctive multiplatform offering in the country,” she said.
SBS managing director James Taylor said Fink shared a passion for the “distinctive content that defines SBS”.
”Among the standout programming she has commissioned is Romanzo Criminale, a crime drama series that was a catalyst for change in the Italian TV industry; Le Fate Ignoranti which recently won the Nastro D’Argento award for best TV series; and Where are You, a National Geographic documentary which traced the human stories behind a migrant boat arriving on the shores of Italy,” he said.
“Kathryn is exceptionally well placed to drive the ongoing success of our TV and SBS On Demand channels as we continue to grow and evolve as a network.”
Fink’s appointment comes after Heald left the broadcaster at the start of this year to take up a new role with Foxtel.