Southern Cross Austereo CEO Jeff Howard in sudden exit
Howard is gone
Jeff Howard, the boss of the newly merged Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media, has suddenly departed the company, the night before he was due to front his first release of ASX results.
The unexpected announcement came in an update after the market closed on Monday night.
John Kelly, who ran SCA until the merger and then stepped down to lead the audio division after the deal completed, has been made interim CEO for TV and radio. New chair Heith Mackay-Cruise – who took over from Kerry Stokes today – will now become interim executive chair, signalling that he will be running the business on a day to day basis.
The deal to merge SCA with SWM was first announced in September, and completed at the start of the year. Kerry Stokes, the long time proprietor of SWM, was the first chair of the merged entity, with a plan for him to hand over to Mackay-Cruise at the end of the month. That was brought forward a few days, with Stokes ending his tenure on Friday.
The plan had been for Howard, previously CEO of SWM, to lead the combined business. Instead, he left the organisation “effective immediately”.
John Kelly: Stepping back up
Howard took charge at SWM in 2024 after the similarly sudden departure of his predecessor James Warburton.
The changes may signal an intent from the new board that they want the culture of SCA rather than SWM to prevail, despite the TV side of the business having far more staff.
As well as Mackay-Cruise – who chaired SCA before the merger – becoming executive chair alongside Kelly running the integration of the TV and radio divisions, long time SCA executive Toby Potter will become chief transformation officer.
The announcement says the board will run a “global search” for its next boss. However, Kelly is a strong contender for the role.
Kelly stepped up in 2023 after the departure of his SCA predecessor Grant Blackley. During a tumultuous two-and-a-half years, Kelly saw off multiple takeover attempts by ARN Media, took digital platform Listnr into profitability, oversaw heavy cost-cutting as radio faced an advertising recession, and helped shepherd through the SWM merger.
In tonight’s ASX statement,Mackay-Cruise said: ““The Board is confident in our team’s capability to apply the financial discipline and industry-leading expertise to drive scale and performance for Southern Cross Media Group going forward.”
The announcement:
Southern Cross Media Group Leadership Changes
Southern Cross Media Group Limited (ASX: SXL) (SCA) today announces changes to the company’s executive leadership to accelerate implementation of its strategy following the completion of its recent merger.
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Howard will step down as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.
As announced on 20 February 2026, Kerry Stokes AC retired from the Board with Heith Mackay-Cruise assuming the role of Chairman at that time. Mr Mackay-Cruise will now assume the role of Interim Executive Chairman and all business unit leaders and corporate services will report to him.
The Board has appointed an executive search firm to undertake a global search for SCA’s next CEO.
The Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Butterworth as Chief Financial Officer of the Group from today. Scott Butterworth will succeed Craig Haskins, who as previously disclosed to the ASX on 7 January 2026 will be retiring after a short period of transition, with his final day being Friday, 27 February 2026.
Mr John Kelly will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer – TV and Audio. Mr Kelly’s responsibilities will include driving the integration of the TV and Audio assets.
Toby Potter will assume the role of Chief Transformation Officer – TV and Audio, following a period serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer for the company. Toby Potter has been part of SCA’s business for over a decade including as Head of Commercial Finance and Head of Business Transformation.
These changes are effective from Monday, 23 February 2026.
SCA Interim Executive Chairman, Heith Mackay-Cruise, said:
“As the company accelerates the delivery of its strategy, SCA’s newly constituted Board has determined it is the appropriate time to appoint new leadership to take the Group forward and execute on our plans.
“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Jeff for his efforts across the period of transition, with the successful implementation of the Scheme of Arrangement and creation of a market-leading, multi-platform media company now complete,” Mr Mackay-Cruise said.
“As a CFO, Scott Butterworth has extensive experience in large-scale, multi-disciplinary leadership roles with significant focus on customer engagement. He has the right skillset, transformation capability, and proven track record for our business. On behalf of the Board, I’d like to welcome Scott and express our gratitude to Craig for his guidance across the recent transition period.
“The Board is confident in our team’s capability to apply the financial discipline and industry-leading expertise to drive scale and performance for Southern Cross Media Group going forward,” Mr Mackay-Cruise said.
The Company’s financial results for 1H 2026 will be released to the ASX on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
An investor presentation will be held at 9:00am AEDT and will be attended by Mr Mackay-Cruise, Mr Potter and Mr Kelly.
Attachment 1 to this announcement sets out biographical details for Mr Scott Butterworth and key employment and remuneration terms for the Incoming Executive Chairman.
Approved for release by the Board of Directors.
Guess that means it’s the Seven management team that gets the rissole.
The ultimate indignity – tv company put to the sword by radio. The horror ! The horror !
SBS needs a new CEO…timing seems auspicious