Murdoch salutes 'outstanding' chief's gong
FOR an industry with no shortage of egos, News Corp Australia chief executive Julian Clarke's modesty is a rarity.
FOR an industry with no shortage of egos, News Corp Australia chief executive Julian Clarke's modesty is a rarity in a business in which he has quietly risen to the top of the media profession.
Mr Clarke's humility makes you suspect he will feel embarrassed about being made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to media.
So it's perhaps best left to a friend and colleague who has known Mr Clarke for many decades to extol his virtues, 54 years after the Melburnian started his career at Standard Newspapers as a 16-year-old cadet journalist.
"All Julian Clarke's colleagues and friends are delighted and congratulate him on this highly deserved recognition," said News's executive chairman Rupert Murdoch. "Julian has been an outstandingly successful leader in the publishing industry for a generation, as well as being a great contributor to the whole community."
Mr Murdoch was delighted to entice Mr Clarke out of retirement last year to lead News's Australian operations as the newspaper business is transformed by sweeping technological changes that are disrupting the legacy business model, but creating exciting new opportunities.
Before Mr Clarke embarked on this new phase of his career, leading his company into a new era after parent company News Corp's historic demerger, he held a variety of senior roles at the company during more than 30 years of service.
Mr Clarke was the managing director of the Herald & Weekly Times group for 16 years, general manager of the HWT's newspaper division and deputy managing director of News's Queensland Press. He has also held directorships on the boards of News Corp Australia and HWT.
Mr Clarke's colleagues credit him with an extraordinary prescience for identifying gaps in the market that others failed to spot, citing the launching of new printing operations, successfully starting a newspaper (MX) when others were closing and masterminding the iconic charity event Run for the Kids.
His long-term colleague at News and current Victorian managing director -- editorial Peter Blunden said Mr Clarke was a formidable leader, with an ability to galvanise colleagues and inspire great loyalty in those around him.
"Julian's leadership, energy, passion and professionalism have inspired those fortunate enough to work closely with him," Mr Blunden said.
"Most of all, Julian is a great reader of people, a brilliant planner, with ideas and the ability to empower his team to deliver them."
In a media world that is becoming cluttered with homogenous content and overwhelmed by digital dross, Mr Clarke understands better than most the value and importance of local news and information as other media companies abandon local readers.
This passion for local communities extends to charity. Mr Clarke is a past board member of the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and a past chairman of the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation. And he is a trustee of Arts Centre Melbourne.
But the man with "ink in his veins" who has been praised by even former foes in the newspaper industry, such as Fairfax Media chairman Ron Walker, also inspires plaudits from those outside the profession.
"Julian is an individual who has risen to the top of his profession, earning and retaining the confidence of all he meets along the way," said former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett. "Importantly he has always associated himself with, and used his offices to promote, the causes of those in the community with less or who are so often voiceless. He is very deserving of such recognition."
Mr Clarke, married for 43 years, has three children.