Greg Hywood

Gregory Colin Hywood (born 26 September 1954) is an Australian journalist, editor and media executive who was CEO of Fairfax Media, one of Australia's largest media organisations, from 2010 to 2018.

Greg Hywood
Born
Gregory Colin Hywood

(1954-09-26) 26 September 1954
Melbourne, Australia
NationalityAustralian
EducationMonash University
OccupationJournalist, editor, chief executive
EmployerFairfax Media

Career

Early journalism

Gregory Hywood graduated with an economics degree from Monash University in Victoria in 1975,[1] and was working as an economist for automotive manufacturer Holden when he was hired as a cadet journalist by then-editor of the Melbourne bureau of the Fairfax-owned national business newspaper Australian Financial Review, Trevor Sykes. Hywood reported on business and both domestic and foreign politics for the AFR for nearly 17 years, winning a Walkley Award in 1980 for a story he broke about the internal operations of Holden.[2]

In the early 1990s, Hywood was made editor of the Australian Financial Review and then promoted to publisher and editor-in-chief of the paper. He was then moved within the Fairfax organisation to become publisher and editor-in-chief of The Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald, and then publisher and editor-in-chief of The Age.

In 2003, Hywood left Fairfax for a position as Executive Director Policy and Cabinet in the Victorian Government's Department of the Premier for Steve Bracks, his resignation rumoured to be due to a falling-out with then-CEO Fred Hilmer over Fairfax's internet strategy.[3] Hywood was appointed CEO of Tourism Victoria in 2006 and in 2008, he concurrently held the position of Deputy Secretary (Brand, Communications and Tourism) at the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development. In recent years he has held board positions on the Tourism and Transport Forum, the Heart Foundation, the Victorian Major Events Company, and the Deakin University Council.[4]

CEO of Fairfax

In October 2010, Hywood was appointed an Independent non-executive director of Fairfax Media, and following the sudden resignation of CEO Brian McCarthy in December 2010, appointed interim CEO. By March 2011 Fairfax Media confirmed his appointment as permanent chief executive and managing director.[5]

Hywood made headlines in May 2011 when announcing a plan to outsource key aspects of production,[6] including plans to outsource news sub-editing to the agency Pagemasters, part-owned by Fairfax rival News Limited.[7] His proposal sparked stop-work meetings among journalists at both Fairfax and rival publications,[8] as well as open criticism from the American Copy Editor's Society,[9] with some media commentators arguing that the most likely hope for newspaper survival is maintaining excellent quality,[10] something that cannot be contracted or guaranteed through outsourced sub-editing, according to Australian academic Margaret Simons.[11]

In May 2017, he fronted a Senate inquiry into journalism, at which point he was still CEO of Fairfax. He was asked questions about "job cuts, a week-long strike by staff and a $2.7bn offer to buy the company."[12]

Hywood left Fairfax Media following the merger with the Nine Entertainment Co. in 2018.[13]

Later career

In October 2020 Hywood was appointed chair of Free TV, a role that had remained vacant since the resignation of Harold Mitchell in 2018.[13]

References
  1. "Alumnus makes headlines". Monash University. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  2. Chessell, James (12 February 2011). "From cadet to CEO, Hywood ready for challenges of media's toughest job". The Australian. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  3. Sinclair, Lara (7 December 2010). "Former Fairfax journo Greg Hywood replaces Brian McCarthy as CEO". The Australian. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  4. Sinclair, Lara (7 December 2010). "Former Fairfax journo Greg Hywood replaces Brian McCarthy as CEO". The Australian. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  5. "Executive Profile: Gregory Hywood, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director and Director, Fairfax Media Ltd". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  6. Chessell, James (4 May 2011). "Fairfax vows to lift quality by outsourcing production". The Australian. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  7. Chessell, James (7 May 2011). "Sub-editors feel sting of Fairfax move to outsource". The Australian. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  8. "Petition presented as decision looms". Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  9. Holloway, Neil (5 May 2011). "Providing 'cleaner copy' no substitute for sub-editors". American Copy Editor's Society. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  10. Davis, Noah (4 May 2011). "Here Are 25 Papers That Have The Best Chance of Being Around in 10 Years". Business Insider. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  11. Simons, Margaret (4 May 2011). "Journo's Union Attempts Negotiation – and the Contracts are Not Actually Signed Yet". Crikey. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  12. "Fairfax chief Greg Hywood fronts Senate journalism inquiry – as it happend [sic]". The Guardian. The United Kingdom. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  13. Samios, Zoe (11 October 2020). "Former Fairfax chief Greg Hywood named new Free TV chair". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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