Ten days after marking his one-year anniversary with Seven, Mi3 can reveal that director of digital marketing and innovation, Lucio Ribeiro, has joined the list of big-name casualties owing to a new operating model.

Ribeiro was not initially among the senior management redundancies announced alongside Kurt Burnette, Mel Hopkins, and Lewis Martin earlier this week, with the redundancy understood to have come by mutual decision. The Kerry Stokes-controlled media business on Wednesday confirmed there would be 100-150 roles axed in total.

With Hopkins gone as chief marketing and audience officer, it is understood that the marketing division now reports to newly appointed chief content officer, Brook Hall, with Larissa Ozard remaining as director of marketing - brand, product, and trade. The audience part of Hopkin's role will be split between Hall and chief digital officer, Gereurd Roberts.

Ribeiro joined Seven in the newly created role last year to work alongside Hopkins, who he’d previously worked with at Optus in the role of tech and innovation director. Ribeiro is a well-known digital marketing and AI operative who was tasked with supercharging Seven’s digital marketing activities and capitalising on AI to drive new journeys and content discovery within Seven’s digital offering.

Last year Ribeiro told Mi3 he was drawn to the challenge of modernising a broadcast business for the BVOD era, naming AI as the key to unlocking Netflix-level UX and keeping audiences in the 7now ecosystem.

It’s another interesting departure from the business given the digital emphasis both Ribiero and Hopkins had in their approach. But, the sentiment coming from the inside appears to be that those who adhere to the mantra to think differently are finding themselves let go.

This morning, Seven also confirmed the exit of national television sales director, Georgie Nichols, who is understood to have resigned from the business a month ago. Her exit comes less than six months after she was elevated into the role to fill the gap left by Natalie Harvey (now chief executive of Mamamia).  

She has been replaced by Katie Finney, who will be reporting to Angus Ross, Group Managing Director, Seven Television. Mi3 understands that there are no other well-known executives leaving the business due to the cuts.

Since its announcement earlier this week, Seven's restructure has seen a significant reshuffling of responsibilities, with Seven's operations now split into three divisions: Television, digital, and Western Australia, helmed by Angus Ross, Gereurd Roberts, and Maryna Fewster, respectively. 

Trent Dickeson was appointed to the newly created role of chief operating officer, with Craig Haskins, replacing Jeff Howard as chief financial officer, and Vikki Frisic as head of sales and strategy enablement.

Howard, now CEO, has been in the hot seat since James Warbuton's premature exit from the business in May. "To build a better media business and to make the most of the opportunities ahead of us, we need to change the way we think and operate. That includes changing the way our executive team is structured and how it works together," he said of the restructuring on Wednesday.