Seven boss Kerry Stokes pays tribute to David Leckie
The passing of a true legend of Australian television has left Seven West Media shocked and saddened, writes chairman Kerry Stokes.
Opinion
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The passing of a true legend of Australian television, David Leckie, has shocked and saddened
the Seven West Media board and staff, friends and associates.
David held several senior roles with the Seven group, including Chief Executive Officer of Seven Network, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Seven Media Group and Seven West Media, and a Director of Seven Network Limited, Seven West Media and Seven Group Holdings.
David was a friend and workmate of mine for more than 20 years, bringing his magic to Seven in re-building the network through his famous “brick by brick” approach and leading us to number one after becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2003.
David’s legendary talent and blunt opinions often caused us to butt heads but the exchanges were often very amusing and ultimately productive.
We will all miss him and his infectious spontaneity and creativity in what is a tough business, with continuing challenges for the media sector.
In addition to his remarkable expertise and experience in sales built up during his time at Nine, David had an innate understanding of what programs would be popular with the Australian public, as well as a great love of sport.
He understood the importance of news and current affairs, as well as light entertainment which he procured on his frequent overseas trips and also created off his own bat at home.
Many of David’s ideas pioneered initiatives and ideas in television around the world.
Sadly, David’s ill-health led to his departure from his executive role in 2012, however he continued to mentor and advise our team, including our current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton, who got his first job in television with David.
David continued to play a key role as a mentor and sounding board for James and other Seven executives, while also providing valuable advice to myself and our board in recent years.
David was the best TV executive this country has ever seen and his legacy will be felt for many years to come.
The staff and board of Seven West Media extend our deepest condolences to David’s wife Skye and his sons Tim, Harry and Ben.
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