Nine executive Lizzie Young resigns after more than a decade

One of Nine Entertainment Co’s key executives has resigned from the company after more than a decade, in a move that could prompt a reshuffle of the ranks at the television, radio, digital and publishing company.

Lizzie Young, Nine’s managing director of local markets and group marketing, has resigned from her position to join WeAre8, a sustainable advertising platform, as its local chief executive.

“Lizzie Young has made a significant contribution to Nine since she joined us 12 years ago and we thank her for her passion and energy which she brought everyday,” Nine boss Mike Sneesby said. “We wish her well in her new role as CEO of WeAre8 in Australia.”

Ms Young is the second member of the Nine executive team to resign since the exit of former CEO Hugh Marks last April. Nine’s chief publishing and digital officer Chris Janz, who was one of the leading candidates for the role of CEO, left the company late last year. Ms Young worked at Nine for more than a decade across multiple divisions including content strategy director and director of innovation and partnerships.

In her new role, Ms Young will be responsible for launching WeAre8 into the Australian market. The ad startup, founded by Australian Sue Fennessy, pays users for their time watching ads and enables donations to charities and organisations that are focused on sectors such as climate, education and animal welfare.

Ms Young was one of a small group of internal candidates that was considered for the chief executive position when Mr Marks resigned in November 2020. Nine boss Mike Sneesby, formerly chief executive of Stan, was elevated to his current role last April.

It is unclear what the departure means for the board of real estate listings company Domain, which is majority owned by Nine. Ms Young is one of two non-executive directors from Nine that sits on the board. Nine is also the publisher of this masthead.

Ms Young began her career at regional television and radio business Southern Cross Austereo in Queensland before moving to the United Kingdom where she worked for commercial radio group Global Radio under Nova’s now entertainment boss Peter Charlton. She joined Nine in 2010. She will leave the company at the end of June.