Mike Sneesby Takes CEO Post at Nine

Stan Entertainment CEO Mike Sneesby has been tapped to succeed Hugh Marks at the helm of Nine Entertainment, effective April 1.

“Under Mike’s leadership, Nine will be able to maintain the strong momentum it has built-in audience, subscribers, content, revenue and earnings,” said Peter Costello, Nine Entertainment’s chairman. “Mike is well placed to continue to drive Nine’s transformation as a digitally led business which is actively adapting to meet the contemporary media consumption habits of Australians.”

In November 2020, Marks announced he would be stepping down as CEO of Nine. His term ends March 31. In a release announcing Sneesby’s appointment, Nine said Marks will remain available to assist in the transition.

“I want to pay tribute to the remarkable tenure of Hugh Marks, who in 2015, inherited a legacy television business with a market capitalization of around A$1.3 billion,” Costello said. “Through the combined strength that came from the Nine-Fairfax merger, our current market capitalization has grown to just over A$5 billion. This is a remarkable turnaround and Hugh has my sincere thanks and gratitude for his work. His time as CEO has seen Nine make a number of key strategic decisions, which not only redefined Nine but changed the wider media landscape in Australia.”

Sneesby has led Stan since its inception. Previously he ran the Microsoft/Nine e-commerce joint venture Cudo after having set up the invision IPTV service in Dubai. “I am honored to be entrusted with this important role, to be the custodian for many of Australia’s most important, valuable and iconic media brands,” Sneesby said. “I have worked alongside my colleagues at Nine for many years and I look forward to building our future together as we embrace the opportunities presented in the emerging and growing digital future. The Nine family is made up of journalists, technicians, producers and so many dedicated to their craft, it will be the honor of a lifetime to lead them.”