My contribution to a board
I could help a board examine the relationship between audience value, commercial commitments and the professional authority needed to deliver the product. My experience includes commissioned audio, regional broadcast operations and the enterprise leadership of a publisher. That progression makes me attentive to promises whose cost or authority sits elsewhere in the organisation. I would ask whether a proposed offer is understandable to its audience, whether its supporting capacity has been funded and whether its success measures describe the relationship the board actually wants to build.
I also bring practical experience of an ownership purpose that does not remove financial constraints. A board may reasonably choose to support work that does not fund itself, but the amount, duration and alternative use of resources should remain visible. I could contribute to that conversation without assuming that my company's internal charter or ownership arrangement supplies the answer for another enterprise. My value would lie in asking grounded operating questions and helping directors see the consequence of their choice, rather than bringing a universal publishing model.
Judgement in practice
01Making a subsidy an accountable choice
The smaller-newsroom decision required us to distinguish a direct funding gap from a loss after central allocations. I supported retaining both views, because using only the more favourable one would have weakened the account. The board then approved a two-year commitment with a review. I would bring that habit to another board: identify the purpose being funded, show what changes under each alternative and avoid treating an allocation adjustment as cash released. The resulting decision can still favour the service, but its cost should be understood by colleagues whose proposals compete for the same resources.
02Backing an editorial boundary in the budget
When a proposed sponsor sought approval over related reporting, I supported declining that condition and preparing a narrower event arrangement. The difference in proposed revenue remained in the operating plan, with an audio project postponed. A board can endorse a professional principle easily when it assumes someone else will replace the income. I would ask whether the approved budget, incentives and executive expectations allow the boundary to survive after the meeting. That is distinct from deciding the editorial merits of a particular story or offering legal conclusions about another organisation's contracts.
03Correcting the commercial claim before the system was perfect
We withdrew a combined audience claim that added overlapping measures. The measurement programme would take time, but the existing uncertainty did not justify continuing to describe the total as distinct people. I would use that experience to question whether a board's public account fits the evidence presently available. A plan to improve measurement is useful; it does not repair an unsupported current statement. Directors should be able to distinguish a temporary reporting limitation from permission to make a stronger claim in the meantime.
My first year on a board
In an initial year, I would spend time understanding the organisation's product from the audience's perspective and the operating account from the people responsible for delivering it. I would read the ownership purpose and delegated authorities before proposing a committee contribution. Early discussions would include the finance lead, product or service leaders and the people holding any protected professional responsibilities. I would then work with the chair to identify a limited set of questions where my experience adds value. I would avoid arriving with a subscription experiment or newsroom model already selected for transfer. The first useful contribution may be clarifying an assumption that different directors have understood differently, rather than recommending a visible programme of change. I would also examine how exceptions reach the board: a disputed sponsor condition, a supported title or a measurement limitation can be omitted from routine papers even when each materially affects the enterprise. Understanding those routes would help me judge whether the committee receives a sufficiently complete account to discharge its agreed role, without drawing directors into ordinary editorial decisions.
Conflicts and their management
Potential conflicts include advertisers, sponsors, commissioned production clients, distribution partners and businesses that may become subjects of coverage. I would disclose relevant connections before accepting an outside role and revisit them as circumstances change. A recusal may be necessary in a particular discussion, but repeated conflicts could make the appointment unsuitable altogether. I would not offer privileged access to a newsroom, promote an outside company's editorial interests or use confidential audience and commercial material from Tessara in another board's work. The chair would need enough detail to judge the practical conflict, not merely a general statement that media relationships exist.
My independence statement
My current Tessara appointment is an executive position. Any proposed outside appointment would require a separate assessment of commercial relationships, ownership links and the relevant independence requirements; an unfamiliar company name alone would not settle that assessment.
Committee contribution
Chair and member readiness| Capacity | Committees |
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| Ready to join | Strategy and audience development · People and succession · Editorial-purpose oversight where the mandate is clearly defined |
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Capacity and preferences
- Time available
- 19 days per year
- Current directorships
- 1
- Sectors
- Regional media · Paid membership organisations · Creative production businesses
- Company type
- A purpose-led commercial or member enterprise with explicit professional and ownership boundaries
- Company stage
- An established organisation reconsidering its revenue mix or the relationship between mission and operating scale
The seat I am pursuing
I am considering one role with a defined contribution and a commitment compatible with nineteen annual days, including reading, preparation and travel. I would be willing to contribute to strategy, audience development or people discussions, and to a carefully defined oversight committee where my experience is relevant. I am not currently presenting myself as ready to chair an audit committee or replace specialist rights expertise. The appointment should strengthen the board's ability to decide, while leaving management and professional teams with clear responsibility for their work. A prestigious title without an identifiable need would not be a sufficient reason to proceed.
Governance learning and readiness
IICA Independent Directors’ Databank: Not yet registered
I have not joined the IICA independent-director databank. This illustrative Australian record makes no claim to a proficiency result, exemption or Indian appointment eligibility. Any future Indian opportunity would require its own appropriate checks before an appointment was considered.
- I review how board papers distinguish the publishing purpose from the particular operating method proposed to serve it.
- I am developing my understanding of committee practice through structured discussions with experienced non-executive colleagues; these discussions are not presented as an accredited qualification.
Board and committee exposure
Served as a director
Tessara Regional Media
Executive board seat; resource, publishing-purpose and operating proposals
September 2020–present
I present the enterprise account and proposals that reconcile commercial capacity with the company's publishing purpose. The chair leads board deliberation separately, and my seat remains executive.
Presented to the Board or a committee
Tessara Regional Media
Operating and product reviews as COO
May 2016–August 2020
I supported the CEO with publication-level operating evidence and the implications of paid digital development. Presenting those papers was exposure to board scrutiny, not an additional directorship.