CEO Will Hayward leaving Private Media

Private Media CEO Will Hayward is departing the publisher to work on a new venture.

Hayward, who has led the company that publishes Crikey, The Mandarin and Smart Company for five years, will leave “within weeks”. Private Media says it has already found Hayward’s replacement, and that Hayward will continue working until the new CEO takes up the reins.

Hayward — who has written for Mumbrella and appeared at the Mumbrella Publish conference last year — would not divulge where he was heading, beyond saying it was within the media world but not competitive with Private Media.

Private Media founder and chairman Eric Beecher praised Hayward in a press release.

“Will has been an extremely successful leader at Private Media … While we’re sad to see him go, we respect his decision to pursue a new venture. He leaves the company in its strongest-ever position, and we wish him all the best for his next chapter.”

“Leading Private Media has been the highlight of my career,” said Hayward in the same release. “I am incredibly proud of what the team has achieved together. I’m grateful to Eric and the board for their support, and I look forward to working closely with my successor to ensure the company doesn’t miss a beat during this handover.”

Hayward has worked within publishing his whole career, beginning at The Economist, and working at Dow Jones and Buzzfeed among other outlets. He became publisher at Smart Company in 2019.

In 2025, Private Media acquired Pinstripe Media, the publisher of Kochie’s Business Builders, Startup Daily, and Flying Solo.