Sebastian Farina

The Associate Director of News is the deputy to the Director of News & Current Affairs and plays a key role in the leadership of the newsroom. The position supports the planning, coordination and delivery of daily news coverage across television, digital and other news platforms, ensuring content is accurate, balanced, timely and aligned with the organisation's editorial standards.

The Associate Director oversees the Heads of Stream, providing strategic guidance, monitoring newsroom performance and ensuring effective collaboration between editorial, production and operational teams. The role assists in setting daily news priorities, coordinating breaking news coverage, approving major editorial decisions and maintaining compliance with media law, journalistic ethics and organisational policies.Working closely with the Director of Television News, General Managers and senior newsroom leaders, the Associate Director helps ensure resources are allocated efficiently, deadlines are met and high-quality journalism is delivered across every news bulletin and platform. The role also contributes to long-term newsroom planning, identifies opportunities to improve workflows and innovation, mentors emerging leaders and represents the Director of News & Current Affairs when required.

Provided high-quality journalism on a casual basis, covering breaking news, major events and special assignments across television and digital platforms. Researched, investigated and developed news stories, conducted interviews, reported live from the field and prepared scripts for broadcast. Worked closely with producers, editors and newsroom leadership to deliver accurate, balanced and timely news under tight deadlines. Maintained the highest standards of editorial integrity, media law and journalistic ethics while contributing to special coverage and supporting newsroom operations as required.

Strategic commercial leader owning end-to-end P&L, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform performance for the digital store. Spearheaded full-funnel digital marketing strategies across paid search, paid social, SEO, and lifecycle retention marketing to accelerate scaling while ruthlessly managing customer acquisition costs (CAC) and lifetime value (LTV) ratios. Engineered optimized UI/UX overhauls, directed digital cross-channel visual merchandising, and integrated cross-functional warehousing and analytics dependencies to drive conversion rates, increase average order value (AOV), and defend profitability. This role was in the Corporate department of Norm.

Top-tier executive media leader holding full editorial, operational, and budgetary command over Australia’s premier television news and public affairs portfolio, including 7NEWS and Sunrise. Stepping into a high-stakes, fixed-term engagement based at the flagship Martin Place studios in Sydney, directed the national breaking news agenda and resource allocation across all capital city newsrooms and global bureaus. Successfully defended the network’s #1 commercial ratings supremacy, managed macro-level defamation and legal risks under intense competitive pressure, and optimized multi-million dollar broadcast budgets to deliver seamless operational continuity and digital asset alignment.

Chief operating and financial executive holding board-level command over the BBC's multi-billion-pound budget, operational infrastructure, and global workforce. Directed the strategic consolidation of the network's finance, business affairs, real estate, and legal divisions to maximise Licence Fee efficiency and strengthen organisational performance. Oversaw the commercial operations of BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide) and modernised backend infrastructure to support the expansion of digital video distribution through BBC iPlayer. This position was the equivalent of the BBC's Chief Operating Officer role, overseeing the organisation's operations, corporate functions, and financial management.

Top-tier network executive holding multi-divisional authority over ABC News’ global business operations, multi-million dollar macro-budgets, and long-term commercial strategy. Directed high-level executive oversight for flagship broadcast brands—including World News Tonight and Good Morning America - and spearheaded network-wide digital transformation strategies to accelerate streaming and multi-platform revenue growth. Handled complex, high-value contract negotiations with premier on-air anchors and contributors, managed high-stakes corporate legal and defamation risks, and optimized cross-departmental resources to consistently defend the network’s #1 commercial ratings position.

Chief operational executive commanding full editorial and budgetary authority over ABC News’ global newsgathering infrastructure, including all domestic and international bureaus, central assignment desks, and field deployment logistics. Strategically coordinated the immediate network deployment of correspondents and technical crews to major breaking global crises, natural disasters, and political events, ensuring first-to-market accuracy and absolute field safety. Managed a multi-million dollar global operations budget, negotiated high-value satellite and syndication contracts, and re-engineered newsroom workflows to deliver a seamless stream of exclusive content to flagship network broadcasts (World News Tonight, Good Morning America) and digital streaming channels.

Flagship on-air anchor and broadcast journalist delivering live, multi-hour daily broadcasts for America’s top-rated morning news program from Times Square Studios. Leveraged a rigorous foundation as a senior reporter to spearhead live rolling coverage of major national crises, execute flawless breaking-news updates, and conduct agenda-setting interviews with world leaders, CEOs, and high-profile newsmakers. Partnered closely with executive producers and writing teams to shape the daily program rundown, successfully defended the network's #1 position in core commercial demographics, and drove extensive multi-platform audience growth.

Flagship broadcast journalist delivering high-impact breaking news, exclusive scoops, and lead stories for Australia's top-rated 6:00 PM metropolitan bulletin. Spearheaded live on-air rolling coverage of major national crises, cultivated an extensive network of premium political, emergency, and civic sources, and delivered fast-turnaround packages under intense deadline pressure. Maintained absolute compliance with strict Australian defamation laws and court reporting restrictions while consistently driving leading commercial audience shares.

High-stakes executive leader with total editorial and operational authority over Australia’s premier television news portfolio, including Nine News, A Current Affair, 60 Minutes, and the Today show. Responsible for defending and driving commercial ratings dominance across all metropolitan markets, setting the national breaking news agenda, and managing a multi-million dollar broadcast budget. Directs the network's high-profile talent acquisition, oversees global bureaus, and serves as the final arbiter on complex legal, defamation, and ethical broadcasting decisions under intense competitive pressure.

Elite broadcast journalist producing premium, long-form investigative documentaries and high-profile international features for Australia's flagship current affairs program. Spearheaded high-stakes foreign reporting, conducted meticulous deep-dive research into complex corporate and political corruption, and secured exclusive, agenda-setting interviews with world leaders and high-interest newsmakers. Directed world-class production crews in high-pressure environments, managed multi-jurisdictional legal and ethical vetting, and delivered cinematic, high-impact storytelling that captured leading national commercial ratings.

Prime-time broadcast journalist producing high-impact, agenda-setting investigative packages, consumer advocacy exposes, and exclusive interviews for Australia's top-rated current affairs program. Spearheaded fast-turnaround consumer fraud investigations, confronted high-interest subjects, and cultivated an extensive national network of confidential sources under tight daily deadlines. Collaborated with legal teams to mitigate high-stakes defamation risks and adapted broadcast packages into viral digital content to drive multi-platform audience engagement.

Lead broadcast journalist delivering high-impact, exclusive breaking news and investigative feature stories for Network 10's flagship national and local bulletins. Responsible for spearheading major news event coverage under intense deadlines, cultivating a premium network of high-level sources, and conducting high-stakes live on-air crosses. Mentored junior editorial staff, maintained absolute compliance with Australian media law, and repurposed broadcast packages into highly engaging digital and social media content to drive multi-platform audience growth.

Executive leader with full accountability for the strategic vision, editorial integrity, and multi-million dollar budget of Network 10's national news and current affairs division. Championed multi-platform digital integration across linear broadcasts and streaming platforms, while directing daily editorial operations across all state capital newsrooms, overseas bureaus, and high-profile on-air talent. Enforced strict media code compliance, managed high-stakes legal and defamation risks, and optimized nationwide resources to drive commercial audience share and ratings growth.