James Taylor steps down after seven years at the helm of Australia’s SBS

James Taylor, managing director of SBS, has announced his surprise departure from the Australian multicultural broadcaster after 13 years.

James Taylor

In an unexpected move, it was also revealed he is leaving the broadcaster to join advertising company oOh!media in the role of CEO and MD. It is expected that he will join oOh! in late 2025 or early 2026, replacing exiting chief and MD Cathy O’Connor.

Taylor is exiting during the milestone 50^th year of operations for the public broadcaster in which it is expanding its studio presence for the first time with new adjunct studio operations in Western Sydney to support new content initiatives.

“It’s been a privilege to lead SBS and work alongside such a talented and committed team. I’m incredibly proud that today we’re reaching the biggest audiences in our history, producing more original local content than ever, and doing it with a credibility we’ve earned, not claimed,” said Taylor.

He was appointed MD in October 2018 and has helmed a period of expansive growth for the network. Prior to his MD role, Taylor had served as SBS’s CFO for more than five years, and previously held senior leadership roles at Deloitte, British Telecom and the ABC.

“SBS has a clear purpose – to serve, reflect and connect all Australians – no matter where their story began or what language they speak. We strengthen society by sharing diverse perspectives and experiences – reflecting the rich, complex reality of contemporary Australia,” he added.

Acting SBS chair Christine Zeitz described Taylor as an outstanding leader, who delivered “world-class digital transformation at a challenging time for the industry, implementing an end-to-end multilingual strategy for all our content, and embedding First Nations storytelling including through a transformative Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan.”

The SBS board has commenced the recruitment process for his replacement. The broadcaster is also still seeking a new chair,  following the announcement last month that incumbent chairman George Savvides would be stepping down after two terms.