Heith Mackay-Cruise, the chairman of Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), has announced he will step down next month, as the company enters a period of board transition and shareholder scrutiny.
Teresa Dyson has been appointed chair-elect, and will assume the role of independent non-executive chairman from July 1st, 2026, after joining the SCA board earlier this year following more than eight years at Seven West Media.
Mackay-Cruise said his departure follows a period of structural change, including the company’s merger with Seven West Media. “After almost six years on the board and more than two years as chairman of Southern Cross Media Group, I am proud to have overseen the restructuring of the company, combining with Seven West Media to create the largest commercial media platform that services all of Australia,” he said in a statement to the ASX.
“With the appointment of Rohan Lund as our new managing director and chief executive officer, I believe SCA is well-positioned for the future, and it is the right time for me to move on to other challenges.”
In an internal email to staff obtained by Mediaweek, new CEO Rohan Lund acknowledged the scale of change across the business and set out a plan to reset performance, costs and culture.
“Whether it’s through publishing, audio, television, or digital, we are the custodians of something very special. We don’t just ‘produce content,’ we own the moments that matter. From the roar of the MCG and the latest breaking news, to the storytelling on air and the intimacy of a podcast, we inspire, inform and entertain 22 million people.”
“I can also see it hasn’t been easy. So much change, so many new pressures, so much uncertainty, and for many of you, that original excitement for the business has been buried under the daily grind,” he continued.
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“My goal is simple: I want to reignite that spark (the same spark that led us all to media in the first place!). I want to remind you why we do what we do, which has never been more important.”
Lund outlined a series of operational priorities, including revenue growth, cost discipline and a stronger digital focus: “We need to hustle for the revenue we deserve. We need to reset our costs quickly so we have the capacity to do what we do best. We need to meet our audience on any device, at any time, with the same creative magic in short and long form. Digital will be at the core of our thinking.”
He also positioned trust and audience connection as central to the strategy, adding that it “will be our currency,” and “we will earn it through authenticity and deep care.”
He said: “We won’t be distracted by external noise; we will drown it out by simply being the best in the business.”
Lund also thanked Mackay-Cruise for his time: “I want to pay special tribute to Heith Mackay-Cruise, who has decided he will step down as chair now that the merger is complete. Heith will finish on 30 June and will be succeeded by Teresa Dyson, who is an existing member of the board and will assume the position of chair elect. Heith leaves with our gratitude for his stewardship of SCA for the last six years and for his work bringing these two great companies together.”
Dyson acknowledged Mackay-Cruise’s tenure and pointed to the next phase of integration and performance. She said the board “gratefully acknowledge[s]” his contribution as a director over the past six years, and as chairman, in “building SCA’s nation-wide reach and accelerating the integration of our television, audio, digital and publishing assets.”
She continued: “I am looking forward to working closely with Heith, Rohan and my fellow directors over the upcoming transition period and as we continue to drive our performance, deliver the full value and synergies of our operations and diverse content platforms, and carefully manage succession on the board.”
The transition comes as Ido Leffler is also set to retire from the board on June 30th, 2026. Dyson said of Leffler: “On behalf of the board, I sincerely thank Ido for his service as a director over six years, during which time he has sharpened our digital focus, and helped develop and guide SCA’s strategic growth agenda.”
SCA confirmed it has begun a search for additional independent non-executive directors.
The leadership changes coincide with a move by activist investor Sandon Capital to reshape the board. SCA said it had received notices under section 203D of the Corporations Act from Sandon Capital, which holds more than 5% of the shares, seeking to remove Mackay-Cruise, Leffler, and Marina Go as directors.
The resolutions are expected to be put to shareholders at SCA’s annual general meeting before November 30th, 2026. The company said the notices are unlikely to affect outcomes, given the planned retirements of Mackay-Cruise and Leffler. It also noted SGH Limited intends to vote its 20% stake in favour of Go’s re-election.
SCA confirmed it has not received any request to call a separate general meeting.
From Mediaweek