Ryan Stokes, CEO of SGH, has been appointed the new chair of Southern Cross Media, Australia’s largest media conglomerate. The appointment follows the recent completion of a significant $400 million merger between Southern Cross Media and Seven West Media in late 2025. Stokes expressed optimism about the company’s future, highlighting a “clear opportunity” for the newly integrated entity to continue its mission of informing and entertaining audiences.
Leadership Transition at Southern Cross Media
The announcement on Monday confirmed the departure of Teresa Dyson as non-executive chair. Dyson will transition to a non-executive director role and will lead a newly established risk, regulatory, and compliance committee. Stokes’s appointment is effective immediately. This leadership alignment is seen as crucial for the company as it enters a new phase of integration and performance enhancement, following the recent appointment of Rohan Lund as managing director and chief executive, alongside a revamped management structure and operating model.
A Unified Media Powerhouse
The merger has created a formidable media group, bringing together Seven West Media’s extensive portfolio with Southern Cross Media’s established brands. Seven West Media’s assets include the Seven television network, prominent Western Australian publications such as The West Australian and The Sunday Times, a collection of regional newspapers, and digital platforms including , Perth Now, The Nightly, 7plus, and The Game. These are now integrated with Southern Cross Media’s radio and audio brands, namely Listnr, the Hit Network, and Triple M.
Ryan Stokes emphasized the strength of this combined platform. “With such a powerhouse platform of brands behind it, there is a clear opportunity in front of Southern Cross Media,” he stated. He underscored the enduring importance of the company’s role in engaging, informing, and entertaining audiences, and in connecting them with advertisers. “The role we play to engage, inform and entertain our audiences, and to connect them with our customers, remains essential to the communities we serve,” Stokes remarked.
Board’s Focus on Execution and Shareholder Value
Stokes outlined the board’s primary objective: to provide Rohan Lund and the management team with robust support to execute their strategies and to ensure the company capitalizes on its potential. “The board’s focus is clear, to give Rohan and the management team the strongest possible support to execute and to hold the company to delivering on that potential,” he said. He further stressed the board’s collective commitment to fostering a stronger, higher-performing organization and to driving enhanced returns for all shareholders. “The board is united on building a stronger, higher-performing group and on driving returns for all shareholders,” Stokes added.
Ensuring Board Independence
Cathy O’Connor, the lead independent director, highlighted Ryan Stokes’s qualifications for the role, citing his extensive executive and media experience, as well as a proven track record of successful execution. “Ryan Stokes brings to the role, executive and media experience and a strong record of delivery,” O’Connor commented.
To maintain the board’s autonomy, particularly given the significant shareholding of Australian Capital Equity, the independent directors have implemented specific governance measures. These include the designation of a lead independent director, ensuring a majority of independent directors on the board, and establishing independent chairs for key committees. “The independent directors have put arrangements in place to preserve the board’s independence, including an elected lead independent director, majority-independent board and committees, and independent chairs of the committees,” O’Connor explained. She affirmed that these measures ensure the board possesses the necessary independence for the challenges and opportunities ahead. “We are satisfied the board has the independence it needs for the phase ahead,” she concluded.
It was also noted that Australian Capital Equity, the private investment vehicle of Kerry Stokes, recently increased its stake in Southern Cross Media. The firm purchased over 14 million shares, raising its holding to 23 percent, which represents the maximum allowable increase of 3 percent.
Strategic Growth in Digital Markets
Rohan Lund, in a previous statement, indicated that Southern Cross Media plans to aggressively pursue growth opportunities within digital markets. This strategic direction follows a notable 11 percent increase in digital revenue, which reached $320 million for the 2025-26 financial year. This performance was a standout in the company’s initial financial reporting as a combined entity.
Lund identified the digital landscape as a significant area for expansion. “It’s a pretty big digital prize out there. It’s a $25 billion market and at the moment we’re (barely) scratching that,” he observed. He drew parallels with successful digital commercialization strategies employed by broadcasters in Europe, the United States, and the United Kingdom, suggesting that Southern Cross Media can learn from and adapt these models to its own operations. This focus on digital innovation is expected to be a key driver of future revenue and market share for the integrated company.
