Nicholas Gray appointed Chair of ThinkNewsBrands board

2 August 2021: Industry organisation appoints top news executives as chair and new board member

ThinkNewsBrands has today announced Nicholas Gray’s appointment as Chair of the board.

Formed in 2020, ThinkNewsBrands delivers empirical evidence and insights around how Australians engage with news demonstrating the impact of advertising in the channel. The organisation is funded by News Corp Australia, Nine and Seven West Media.

Gray has been a board member since the formation of ThinkNewsBrands in 2020 and steps up as Chair following the departure of Chris Janz. He is Managing Director of The Australian, NSW and Prestige Titles for News Corp Australia, a role he has held for the past two and a half years. Prior to that, he was the CEO of The Australian.

Gray said: “ThinkNewsBrands serves an important role resetting perceptions about news and highlighting the effectiveness of Total News. With more than 19 million people engaging with news every week, and audiences continuing to increase as Australians seek critical news and information, news, in print and digital, is a standalone media channel with reach leading the way. 

“I’d like to thank Chris for his contribution as inaugural chair. During his tenure, we appointed General Manager Vanessa Lyons, migrated measurement of news readership to Roy Morgan and delivered important research. I’m looking forward to working with my fellow board members and the ThinkNewsBrands team to continue this great work.”  

Nine’s Managing Director – Publishing, James Chessell, has also joined the board. Chessell recently stepped into the Managing Director role at Nine and prior to that was the Executive Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age following an impressive career as a journalist and editor working across Nine’s three main mastheads as well as The Australian. 

Chessell said: “I’m thrilled to bring my editorial experience to the ThinkNewsBrands board as we continue to future-proof quality journalism through advertising support. To me, this role signifies a commitment to advocating on behalf of news and the people who produce it.” 

The third board position is held by Nathan Cave, Chief Advertising Officer for Seven West Media’s West Australian division.  

ThinkNewsBrands General Manager Vanessa Lyons said: “These appointments solidify the balance of expertise across the board and the wider ThinkNewsBrands organisation. Between us we have marketing, sales and editorial experience which will continue to help with our vital work supporting Australian journalists and ensuring marketers understand the power of news. I’m excited to work with Nicholas, James and Nathan moving forward.” 

Media Enquiries
Brooke Hemphill
bhemphill@premiumcontentalliance.com.au
0419 351 445

About ThinkNewsBrands
Founded by Australian media owners who, collectively, have more than 100 years’ experience in producing news, ThinkNewsBrands shines a light on how and why professionally produced premium news content is the best partner for advertisers looking to grow their brands and businesses.

Find out more:
thinknewsbrands.com.au