Annette Sharp: Chief sales officer Michael Stephenson confirms relationship with former Nine exec

In news that has echoes of former CEO Hugh Marks’ relationship with Alexi Baker, Nine’s chief sales officer Michael Stephenson has confirmed he has fallen in love with a former executive from the company, writes Annette Sharp.

Nine chief sales officer Michael Stephenson has confirmed his relationship with a former mid-level executive from the company. Picture: James Gourley

Nine’s chief sales officer Michael Stephenson has confirmed one of the media industry’s worst-kept secrets.

The media executive in line to one day become CEO of Nine — a company whose board in recent years has been deeply divided over the appropriateness of in-house relations between executives — fell in love with a former mid-level executive from the company.

Stephenson, known as “Stevo” in the industry, on Friday confirmed his relationship with Anna Quinn.

Quinn left her role as Nine’s group GM (sales) when news of the relationship threatened to break in the public domain.

Stephenson confirmed the relationship when contacted by this column on Friday: “Yes, that’s correct,” he responded.

Michael Stephenson and Anna Quinn in Mosman on Friday. Picture: Jeremy Piper.

Quinn, who was also approached for comment but hadn’t responded at press time, was at Nine for six years, joining in 2016 as director of digital content and commercial strategy, a position she held for one year.

The one-time Bauer Media/ACP sales manager then moved to Nine’s Lifestyle division as group GM before being transferred, after 11 months, to the company’s marketing services team, Powered, in the role of GM.

Hugh Marks. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Alexi Baker. Picture Jeremy Piper

After four years, in March 2021 Quinn was given a new title, as Group General Manager reporting to Stephenson, who was promoted to chief sales officer, replacing Peter Wiltshire, in 2016 by Nine’s then newly installed CEO Hugh Marks.

Marks left Nine in sensational and dramatic circumstances in early 2021, having tendered his resignation from the company on the day this column revealed his relationship with Nine’s freshly departed managing director commercial, Alexi Baker.

An avid and confessed admirer of Marks’ management style, Stephenson was soon, say sources, emulating his old boss by embarking on an office romance with Quinn.

This column understands Stephenson separated from his wife Jen, mother of his four children, last year.

The sales executive, who is among the highest paid in the country, earns $951,720 (plus bonuses worth $475,860) at Nine.

Since leaving the media company at the end of last year Quinn has taken a role at fashion retail company Mosaic Brands, formerly Noni B.

The couple recently moved into a glamorous three-storey four-bedroom bayside Mosman rental together, setting them back a cool $4500 a week.

They were photographed for the first time together at the property on Friday morning.

Nine’s CEO Mike Sneesby on Friday declined to comment on the relationship or specifically on whether he believed it was a concern for Nine’s board in light of the issues that arose from the Marks-Baker coupling.

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