Nine taps former News Corp and GroupM exec Cameron King for leadership role in Product team
Cameron King is the final piece of the puzzle in Nine’s product team. Chief Product Officer Bec Haagsma has restructured the team with several senior hires in the past year. King is a well-respected digital and sales operator, most notably for his time heading up digital revenue at News Corp for several years, and a stint as chief technology and transformation officer at GroupM. He returns to Australia from a three-year stint working in the US.
Nine has hired News Corp’s former digital commercial chief Cameron King as Director of Product, Commercial and Sales Platform – a senior role in its Product division.
King, who begins today (15 June), will focus on products and experiences to support commercial and sales operations across the Nine group. He will work alongside Nine’s chief product officer Bec Haagsma and rounds off the senior leadership team.
Nine has restructured its Product division recently. Last year, the group hired Stuart Fagg, a former General Manager, Product at News Corp, to lead product strategy across its publishing arm.
Lewis Evans, formerly 9Now head of product, was promoted to the new role of Director of Product, Streaming, responsible for the product strategy of Total TV and Total Radio across Nine.
King brings more than 20 years of experience to the Nine, and for the past few years worked as a consultant on the intersection of technology and media sales in the US.
He was previously chief technology and transformation officer at GroupM Australia and has held several senior positions at News Corp Australia, including Managing Director of Digital Revenue. He is also a former chair of the online advertising trade body, the IAB.
“I couldn’t be happier to welcome Cam to Nine, and am really looking forward to setting up a new product function with him,” Haagsma said of the appointment. “Super experienced, he will bring his leadership and industry capabilities to the business and we will continue to differentiate what we do, and just as importantly, how we do it, with Cam’s appointment.”
King added: “I’m excited to be back in Australia and joining the team at Nine. This represents a unique opportunity to work alongside Nine’s market leading sales teams and identify new products and capabilities that can help accelerate their growth.”
King joins Nine on the back of a record-breaking year in FY22, with a 15 per cent lift in revenue to $2.7 billion and a 35 per cent increase in net profit of $373.5 million. However, agency forecasts predict a much softer 2023 with double-digit declines in linear TV ad spend – although growth in BVOD advertising – and a challenged newspaper sector.
