By Samantha Hutchinson and Stephen Brook
After a marathon recruitment process lasting six months with more false starts and near-finishes than a Tokyo track event, NAB has appointed a new government relations head. The winner? Seasoned political staffer Damian Callachor.
NAB’s newest government relations boss served as chief of staff to former Nationals leader Michael McCormack during his stint as deputy prime minister. The Kevin Spacey lookalike has chalked up experience as a senior member of Qantas’ government relations team.
NAB has announced a senior internal appointment.Credit: Will Willitts
Callachor’s appointment was announced internally on Monday afternoon, after a final meeting with chief executive Ross McEwen last Monday. A memo from NAB’s corporate affairs boss Jason Laird noted Callachor’s “more than 20 years’ experience in government, public policy and stakeholder management across a variety of industries in the public and private sectors” including stints with McCormack, Warren Truss and senior roles with the West Australian government. He’ll also be based in Sydney, Laird said, noting Callachor “lives on a small property just outside Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands of NSW, close to half-way between Sydney and Canberra.”
He will start on Monday September 13. But his first day couldn’t come soon enough for the bank and recruitment queen Anna Whitlam who was tasked with filling a chair which has been empty since former diplomat Philippa King announced her resignation in February.
News Corp has announced it will cut more jobs from its Australian operations.Credit: Illustration: John Shakespeare
Readers will recall Labor’s Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers’s former chief of staff Claudia Crawford was considered to be among two final candidates for the role in June, but opted instead for a senior position in energy within the Victorian government. Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher’s chief of staff Ryan Bloxsom was the other candidate. He opted to stay put with the Minister. Talk about an exhaustive process.
KNIVES OUT
Fresh from a $US389 million profit, News Corp, the publisher of The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun and New York Post, is again taking an axe to its Australian newsrooms and plans to make up to 25 journalists redundant.
An internal memo seen by CBD says the company’s broadsheet flagship The Australian will lose 10 positions, six from NSW and four from Victoria, while Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph will lose two positions and the company’s news network will lose three.
Ten positions will go from the company’s regional and community divisions, including jobs in Geelong, Hobart, regional Queensland, northern NSW and South Australia.
“These changes arise from the company strategy to continue to best position our business for future growth and to ensure we reposition our resourcing needs to these growth areas,” the memo says.
The company declined to comment.
Earlier this year, the Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch’s company concluded two multimillion-dollar deals with Google and Facebook. News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said the publisher would create 100 editorial roles, including 30 cadet positions and 20 jobs mainly in digital journalism.
Last month The Age and the Herald reported the company was cutting up to 50 jobs in its commercial divisions after consultant firm McKinsey & Co was retained to advise on a restructure. The Australian Financial Review reported last October the firm was hired for a six-week project to advise on new growth opportunities.
Rupert Murdoch’s media company has been undertaking a company-wide restructure over the past 18 months to focus on growing online subscribers.
The company hired PwC and Deloitte to consult on centralising editorial and commercial functions in April last year while it reviewed its regional newspaper business. Months later it announced plans to shut more than 100 print publications as the coronavirus pandemic killed off local advertising revenue. The decision affected up to 1000 jobs.
In June last year jobs were axed across national and metropolitan newspapers. Editorial and commercial teams have been consolidated across publications.
DOLLAR DAZZLER
Nicole Sheffield has done it again. The Australia Post executive general manager of community and consumer is jumping ship from one impressive sounding job to another.
The mother of four and lover of shoes and handbags is off after three years of flogging souvenir stamp collections “The AusPost Gold Medallist Stamps program celebrates every Aussie gold medallist with a stamp available in store!.”
And she is heading to an even more treasured Aussie institution - Bunnings owner Wesfarmers. There she will have a managing director role reporting to Wesfarmers King Kong Rob Scott. Sounds expensive.
Prior to Australia Post, Sheffield, a favourite of former News Corp boss Kim Williams, ran News Corp’s digital and magazine division. Before that, she was general manager of Foxtel’s Lifestyles Channel Group. No doubt her experience in commissioning Grand Designs Australia will be invaluable now she is going to work for the owner of Kmart and Bunnings.
STRIKING A BLOW
There’s still another three months to go until Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins hands down a final report into workplace culture inside Federal Parliament. But that hasn’t stopped the Coalition from sending for reinforcements.
Step forward Boronia Blow who has been appointed director, people and professional development responsible for mustering the Coalition’s staffing troops. It’s a first in parliamentary circles known as HR best practice-free zone.
Blow comes to the role as an experienced staffer. She served in Education Minister Alan Tudge’s office as chief-of-staff.
A government spokesperson described Blow as an experienced public servant and communications professional who would “bring her experience to the team in how best to support parliamentarians and staff perform their roles”. She will work alongside veteran staffer Chris Ireland in a team of five.
“This team will help staff identify how to develop their skills, provide guidance on professional development, and deliver training to assist them in their jobs. As part of this, the team will ensure offices are aware of the support and services available to them,” the spokesperson said.
Not a moment too soon.
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