DAZN owned Australian pay TV operator Foxtel has unveiled a revamped board with two new media powerbrokers on its deck.
Former Labor Communications Minister and current government lobbyist Stephen Conroy and telecommunications investor, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Peter O’Connell have joined the new look Foxtel board.
The two new board appointments arm the Foxtel board with a wealth of political access and deep telecommunications and media expertise, giving rise to speculation over what Foxtel’s new owners may be strategically planning for the asset.
The Foxtel Group has yet to comment on the appointments but confirmed that the new Foxtel board comprises DAZN chief Shay Segev, DAZN CFO Darren Waterman, Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany with the addition of Conroy and O’Connell.
The new appointments follow last week’s surprise news that Foxtel and News Corp veteran Siobhan McKenna was stepping down from her executive roles at News Corp at the end of the year.
The new board additions are a strategic coup for the platform. Conroy a former Labor Party Senator with a twenty-year political pedigree, served as leader of the government in the Senate, minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy and shadow minister for defence.
He was pivotal in establishing Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) and in media policy reform which included overseeing the transition of television broadcasting to digital. He is currently chair of government advisory company TG Partners and is a regular commentator on News Corp owned Sky News Australia.
A former corporate lawyer, O’Connell has been pivotal in the formation of the competitive Australian communications landscape as a key player in the formation of Australia’s second telecommunications company, Optus. He later co-founded his own telecommunications service provider Amaysim which was bought by Optus for $250 million (US$164m) in 2021. He has also served in senior executive positions and board roles at Film Australia Amaysim, Superloop, Climatech Zero and was an early investor in decarbonisation solutions provider, CoolPlanet.
