Seven West Media chief James Warburton resigns, with CFO Jeff Howard to succeed

James Warburton

James Warburton, the CEO and MD of Seven West Media (SWM), the owner of Australian broadcaster Seven, has resigned, with CFO Jeff Howard announced as his replacement.

Warburton will leave his role by the end of June, at which point Howard will take the helm. SWM has already begun a search for a new CFO.

This is the second time that the outgoing chief has exited SWM, having previously work the company from 2003 to 2011, when he left to join rival broadcaster Network Ten as its CEO.

He returned to SWM as CEO and MD in 2019, following the exit of previous incumbent Tim Worner.

“It has been an incredible journey at SWM and with an exceptionally talented team in place, the time is right for the company to take the next step,” said Warburton.

“I take great pride in the transformation of SWM in recent years and its position as the leader in total TV in both ratings and revenue.”

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes said that the incoming Howard “has an immense depth of experience and exposure across the broad media industry and the right balance of skills to deal with a dynamic and evolving media landscape.

“Having worked as SWM’s chief financial officer since January 2020, he is well positioned to continue the momentum created by James. His commercial knowledge, passion and commitment will ensure a strong performance focus at this critical time of change and innovation for the industry.”