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Shine ups Oz chiefs

Shine Group’s Australian co-CEOs the Fennessy Brothers have been given new roles at Shine USA and Shine Network.

News Corp-owned Shine has expanded Carl and Mark Fennessy’s remits, with the former adding Shine USA CEO to his title and the latter gaining responsibility for global production division Shine Network.

It’s a rapid rise for the former FremantleMedia Australia chiefs, who launched Shine Australia in January 2010. In February, they pulled off a major coup by securing rights to the hugely successful local version of culinary cook-off format MasterChef, which has scored massive ratings on Network Ten.

The appointments come after last month’s restructure that saw distribution arm Shine International relocate from LA to London. That led to the departure of the unit’s CEO Chris Grant and executive VP John Pollak (though the latter remains at the company until the end of the year).

This latest restructure will not affect the Fennessys’ work in Australasia, Shine said, with their new duties sitting alongside their existing roles.

An “enhanced management team” is being lined up to support them in Australia and New Zealand, with new wave of top-level appointments on the horizon.

Carl Fennessy’s newly created role at Shine USA sees him relocate to LA this year. There he will work with production subsidiary Reveille ‘s president Eden Gaha and report into Shine Group Americas CEO Emiliano Calemzuk. He also keeps a regular presence at Shine Australia’s Sydney home.

Calemzuk said he was a “creative and commercial leader,” adding: “His talents will be very suited to our market and companies here.”

Mark Fennessy takes on the new role of Shine Networks president. He will work with the firm’s format development team in London, which oversees global versions of MasterChef, weight loss reality show The Biggest Loser, and One Born Every Minute.

He remains based in Sydney and will seek to forge relationships with territories where Shine has no presence.

“Mark and Carl have taken Shine Australia from a standing start to the market leader in barely over a year,” said Shine chairman and CEO Liz Murdoch.

“It’s an extraordinary achievement that is down to their respective and complementary creative and commercial skills, and the energy and drive they share. Their new extended roles come in recognition of this and will respectively allow the Group to further benefit from these skills.”

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