Nine boss Mike Sneesby faces more claims of his executives’ bad behaviour

Former Stan publicity chief Adrian Foo attended this year’s Australian Open tennis tournament as a guest of Nine less than a year after leaving the company’s streaming service amid allegations of inappropriate conduct.

Revelations on Tuesday about the departure of Foo, a close friend of Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby and his family, fuelled speculation within the company’s senior ranks about the chief executive’s future at the helm of Nine, as pressure mounts over its handling of misbehaviour by senior employees.

Mike Sneesby and Adrian Foo.

Nine is facing a barrage of criticism over its response to claims of lecherous behaviour and poor management by long-standing former news director Darren Wick, sparking broader discussions at the North Sydney headquarters about the company’s performance.

Sneesby’s promise on Monday of an investigation into the network’s newsroom culture also failed to mollify the company’s journalists. They remain angry that Wick’s behaviour went unchecked for years and await assurances about the rigour and transparency of the review.

“Trust in management has been eroded over the years, but also by the way it’s handled this [the response to the Wick allegations],” said one female journalist on the condition of anonymity so they could speak freely.

Former director of Nine news and current affairs Darren Wick.Credit: Nine News

On Tuesday, The Australian Financial Review reported that Foo had departed in May last year under a cloud.

The masthead reported that Foo left Stan, Nine Entertainment’s streaming service, after an investigation that began in April last year into allegations that he bullied and had inappropriate physical contact with staff. Nine is also the publisher of this masthead and The Australian Financial Review.

It said the allegations were made by at least five people, two of whom said he made them feel uncomfortable by hugging them, touching their knees or holding their shoulders. Foo left Stan before the review was finished. A source close to Foo said he was seeking legal advice about the report.

Foo met Sneesby at Stan when Sneesby was chief executive of the streaming service. In a statement, a spokeswoman for Nine said, “The CEO played no part and [had] no visibility into the process that led to Adrian Foo’s departure from Stan, given their long-standing friendship.

“The CEO and his family have been very close to Adrian for more than a decade.”

Foo now works for QMS Media, a digital outdoor billboard company that is a Nine client. A source close to Foo, who asked not to be named so they could discuss his friendship with the chief executive, said Foo had had his own ticket to the tennis, but a last-minute cancellation meant a seat became available with Nine, which he accepted. Sneesby himself did not attend.

A Nine insider said, on the condition of anonymity, that Foo is “usually a plus one” of an invited guest at Nine events.

Sneesby addressed the Nine newsroom on Monday in the wake of the Wick allegations, acknowledging a problem with the company’s culture, saying, “Alleged serious failings of leadership in television news clearly tells me more work needs to be done to ensure we have a safe and inclusive workplace throughout Nine.”

Several female journalists said they were in tears during the address as they reflected on the years of stress they experienced in the newsroom.

There was also staff anger – one described it as a “slap in the face” – over a nearly $1 million payout for Wick, first reported by The Australian but which Nine would not confirm to this masthead – given many had been repeatedly knocked back for pay rises and told of financial difficulties in the media market.

A Nine source close to management said most of the money involved entitlements accrued over his nearly three-decade tenure. A spokeswoman for the company said, “We take all allegations of inappropriate conduct seriously. There is a review in place. We encourage anyone with concerns to come forward”.

Speculation among senior company employees about the future of its leadership is rife. Since Sneesby was appointed, the share price has declined from $2.99 to $1.44.

Some have also questioned the expenditure of $305 million on the broadcast rights for the next five Olympic Games amid suggestions of looming job cuts in the company’s television division.

“Everyone is talking about the share price and also asking what has he actually done in the last three years,” one close observer of the media company said.

Another said Sneesby appeared to have the support of Nine chairman Peter Costello but suggested some board members appeared to have reservations about him.

Amanda Laing, a past managing director at Nine, is a name that has been floated as a possible replacement following her departure from Foxtel in April.

Sneesby and other Nine senior executives and editors are due to visit Canberra next week for the official opening of the company’s newly renovated Canberra bureau, which has brought together journalists from the TV station, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Comment was sought from Sneesby and Foo.

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