Chance to join high and mighty at Royal Sydney Golf Club; Nine to pay ‘recognition bonus’

Is Royal Sydney GC ready for the likes of retired television personality Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who is one of several names up for membership consideration? Picture: AAP

It’s that time of year when hallowed members of The Royal Sydney Golf Club can scrutinise with much steepling of fingers their contemporaries vying for membership of the Rose Bay social and sporting institution.

A circular dispatched to all existing members and seen by Margin Call asks for commentary on incoming nominees hoping to join the rarefied strata offered by the 130-year-old club.

But is the prestigious outfit ready for the likes of retired television personality Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who is one of several names up for consideration? Lady golfers, we note, must sport a skirt, or skort, that covers at least the mid-thigh.

Any snoots with beef have been cautioned that their feedback cannot be provided anonymously; they’ll have to honour it with their name, although their aspersions are likely to be destroyed to protect the privacy of all concerned.

Others waiting bated for an answer include Westpac senior manager Melissa ‘Missy’ Carnegie, the partner of Blackstone senior managing director James Carnegie, and interior designer Katrina Friedlander, wife of top mergers and acquisitions lawyer David Friedlander.

Illustration: Rod Clement

For those unfamiliar, it has been said that Royal Sydney’s prefix was bestowed upon it by none other than Queen Victoria herself.

Margin Call has never set foot upon its blessed grounds, but the amenities are known to be vast.

They include courses of the 18 and nine-hole variety, two practice zones for just tapping it in, an indoor golf studio – why not? – 18 tennis courts and a clubhouse, where doing the fake golf swing, just like in the office, is unlikely to be considered the most douchebag move on the planet.

All of which might be what’s attracting WestConnex boss Andrew Head, King & Wood Mallesons chief operations officer Tim Finlayson, and EY Asia-Pacific’s assurance leader Mike Wright.

Similarly in wait is Simon Gray, who chairs the ASX Appeal Tribunal, former Fidelity fundie John Meagher, SVP liquidator Ian Purchas and ANZ senior executive Aaron Ross.

–

Nine stumps up cash

Who doesn’t love a bit of baksheesh? In what looks like the ultimate olive branch to its staff, Nine Entertainment will pay employees a $1750 “recognition bonus” for allegedly helping to improve the business and the company’s financial performance over the past 12 months.

The sweetener, according to management, has absolutely nothing – repeat, nothing – to do with its ongoing and very acrimonious wages dispute that still has the capacity to descend into full-blown strike action.

Nine Entertainment chief executive officer Mike Sneesby.

Is that why the company recently signed with AAP for a six-month “trial” of its wire services? We presume that will soften the impact of any picket and placard action if scribes choose to walk off the job, as they did at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in 2017.

Anyway, an email distributed by Nine CEO Mike Sneesby on Wednesday said the cash would be doled out from August to all permanent employees who joined the company before April. Those who work to alternative incentive plans will probably be excluded.

“This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for all that you have done this financial year, your commitment to excellence, and your investment in our future,” Sneesby wrote, adding the money would be paid in addition to the company’s annual salary reviews, which are proceeding as normal.

His missive was followed shortly thereafter by Nine’s managing director of publishing, James Chessell, who issued a terse all-staff email saying the money would be paid “regardless of the progress” of the EBA negotiations.

“I want to make it clear the $1750 recognition bonus announced by Mike Sneesby today is a company-wide initiative and not tied to the EBA negotiations,” Chessell said.

It was Chessell who warned this month that demands for large wage increases at The Herald, The Age and The Financial Review would ravage the company’s cost base and could lead to a hiring freeze, the closure of satellite bureaus, and the possibility of ceasing international assignments.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance wants 6 per cent pay increases over three years while Nine has offered 3.5 per cent subject to audience and subscriber targets being met. That figure will drop to just 2 per cent if those targets and other measures are not reached.

–

Moving up

The impressively qualified Diane Brown has been appointed Deputy Secretary at the Department of Treasury, according to a memo issued to staff on Wednesday.

Brown, who currently leads roughly 300 people at the Department of Infrastructure, previously worked at Treasury in the Markets Group and other roles. Her CV includes stints at ASIC, Caltex, Macquarie Group, and, at one stage, chief of staff to Stephen Conroy.

It’s not her only Labor connection. Brown’s husband, Simon Banks, is a former Labor staffer and the managing director of Labor-leaning government relations firm Hawker Britton.

Brown will begin her role overseeing Treasury’s Revenue Group from the end of July, replacing Maryanne Mrakovcic.