George Savvides to exit as chair of Australian public broadcaster SBS

Australian public broadcaster SBS is facing a change of guard as current chair George Savvides announces his intension to step down at the end of his term in July 2025.

George Savvides

Savvides said he would not be seeking re-election as part of his plan to rebalance his professional and family commitments.

The outgoing chair has served on the board since early 2017, joining as deputy chair, and his departure will mark the end of his second term as chair.

Under his tenure SBS implemented new initiatives to ensure public health and culturally appropriate information was delivered during the pandemic and has been a staunch champion of inclusion particularly in driving the rise of First Nations and multicultural stories and content at the broadcaster.Savvides said: “I am proud to have been the chair and deputy chair of SBS during this critical period, noting in particular the proactive work of SBS to collaborate across a range of areas to deliver better social and economic outcomes for all the communities we serve, and supporting participation in all facets of life in this country.”

The government will now begin a merit-based selection process to appoint the next chair.

Meanwhile in other board moves, non-executive director Peeyush Gupta will also be relinquishing his board position in November as he has reached the limit of 10-year service to the SBS Board.

While fellow non-executive director Aaron Fa’Aoso has rejoined the board after taking a brief leave of absence as he pursued preselection for the Australian Labor Party to run in the October Queensland state elections.