The changes under Seven West Media’s new chief executive, Jeff Howard, have continued, with three senior members of its executive leadership team part of the company’s latest round of redundancies.
About 150 staff across Seven West were informed on Tuesday they would lose their jobs. The cuts, flagged by this masthead on Monday, are part of a renewed drive to find more than $100 million in savings across the business.
Seven’s new chief executive Jeff Howard cut three of his most senior executives on Tuesday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Amid the cuts came the surprise exit of 34-year company veteran and chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette, chief marketer Melissa Hopkins, who joined just last year from Optus, and Lewis Martin, the head of sport and Seven Melbourne’s managing director.
The three executive salaries will form a major part of the savings for Seven, with Burnette’s remuneration alone worth $1.58 million a year, according to the company’s most recent annual report.
Their departures, confirmed by Seven on Wednesday, form part of an overhaul of Seven West’s operations, two months into Howard’s tenure. Seven has introduced a new operating model, splitting the company across three divisions: television, digital and Western Australia.
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Howard said it was disappointing when such changes had to be made, but thanked the trio of executives while outlining the reasoning behind the overhaul.
“Our focus, however, is on ensuring Seven West Media’s structure matches our strategy to optimise television, deliver our digital future, find new revenue streams and manage our costs responsibly,” Howard said.
Seven West owns the Seven Network and the Perth-based newspaper The West Australian. Seven was contacted for comment.