The ABC and Nine Entertainment revolving door spins again as Peter Tonagh joins the Nine board

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Entertainment has secured media executive Peter Tonagh to its board, just weeks after he announced his exit from the ABC board, where he served as deputy chair.

Peter Tonagh

Tonagh’s non-executive director position on the Nine board is effective immediately.

Nine chair Catherine West praised Tonagh’s leadership experience across finance, media and pivotal positions including stints as CEO at News Corp, Foxtel and REA Group.

“With his extensive career in media, and in data and digital businesses, I am confident Peter will prove a valuable addition to the Nine Board, not only for Nine’s contemporary business but also for its strategic aspirations for the future. I look forward to Peter making a strong contribution to board deliberations,” West said.Since leaving Foxtel in 2018, Tonagh has held a range of board roles including lead independent
director of Village Roadshow and council member for AFTRS. He is currently chair of Quantium, a leading data and analytics company, in addition to serving as the chair to GTN Limited, Bus Stop Films and Honey Insurance.

Tonagh’s appointment coincides with the broadcaster’s attempts to steer the media company into calmer waters after months of instability due to the eruption of claims of toxic workplace culture and operational reviews. The board is poised to anoint a permanent CEO, a role currently held by interim chief Matt Stanton who was promoted to the role in September after the sudden exit of Mike Sneesby.

Speculation suggests that Stanton may retain the chief position with former Foxtel executive Amanda Laing tipped to take a newly created senior leadership role in the company.

Tonagh was appointed to the ABC board in 2021 and exited before Christmas, 18 months earlier than the end of his scheduled term.

The news of his sudden exit from the ABC emerged a week after broadcaster had announced that former Nine chief executive Hugh Marks would be taking the helm of the ABC as the new managing director from March of this year.