Danika Johnston joins The Guardian as head of commercial

BY Nathan Jolly

June 6, 2025 10:18

Danika Johnston

The Guardian has appointed Danika Johnston, former managing director of WeAre8, as its director of commercial partnerships for Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to working at WeAre8, the UK-founded social media startup, Johnston worked in sales and commercial director roles at Nova, Mamamia, SBS, Vevo, and Tiktok.

She will lead the advertising division at The Guardian, overseeing sales, operations, the Guardian Labs branded content, and insights teams.

Her appointment is part of the recent realignment of The Guardian’s commercial business, under managing director, Rebecca Costello.

In January, Sarah (Jiajia) Xu was appointed head of ad operations and platforms, and Alison Tanudisastro was made head of production, a newly created role.

Costello also appointed Justin Easter as state sales director NSW & QLD, and Delwyn Smith state sales director VIC & SA, who both report to Shannon Hollis, head of advertising.

The previous director of commercial partnership, Mason Rook, resigned in July 2024, after 5 years in the role. He is currently CEO of Nine’s Pedestrian. The Guardian confirmed to Mumbrella there was no-one in this role during the interim.

Danika Johnston

Johnston will report directly to Costello, who said her “depth of experience, innovative thinking and strong leadership credentials will be instrumental in driving revenue growth and strengthening our partnerships.

“Danika’s passion for purpose-led media aligns perfectly with our mission and values, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the team,” Costello said in a media release announcing the appointment.

Johnston says: “I feel privileged to be joining Rebecca and the team at the Guardian. This is a business that has always delivered performance and purpose in equal parts. Very few organisations can claim this credential.

“The Guardian brand and team has an incredible legacy of driving reputable content, storytelling and partnerships and I genuinely cannot wait to work alongside the teams to continue to scale this level of excellence”.

Johnston will begin at the publication on June 16.