Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced his pick for a new chairperson of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to take over from Ita Buttrose, whose five year term will end in March.
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Kim Williams, currently chair of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, is poised for the role, with the Prime Minister announcing he will recommend his appointment to the Governor-General.
Mr Williams has held a range of leadership positions in media, including in the Australian Film Commission, Southern Star Entertainment, Fox Studios Australia, Foxtel, and News Corp Australia. He was also previously an AFL commissioner.
The Prime Minister will recommend Mr Williams be appointed to the five-year part-time term, after consultation with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and a merit-based appointment process.
The decision was made by the national cabinet on Tuesday.
"There aren't too many Australians I can think of who have both studied composition in Italy and been an AFL commissioner," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday morning.
"Kim is a true renaissance man.
"The breadth of his experience is matched by its depth and his intellect, his energy and his insatiable curiosity have all meant, that he's been able to devote himself to a great diversity of passions [and he] of course has led news organizations including News Corp.
"Kim is someone who gets the ABC and is someone who understands instinctively what a national broadcaster can and should be."
Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland recognised Ms Buttrose's service, and said she was "right chair for the right time". Ms Buttrose will step down from the role in March after a five-year term.
"Ms Buttrose is a giant of the media and business worlds, she has shown steady leadership for five years and maintained a strong defence of the ABC's independence.
"She was the right chair for the right time, and we wish her well in all her future endeavours."
