Nine’s new radio sales boss, Penny Kaleta, exits the business

Nine has completed its scheduled “sales transformation”, the result of which leaves Penny Kaleta jobless after less than five months with the broadcaster.

The business has been operating with three sales teams across its television, publishing and radio divisions. The latest changes now align those teams into one sales machine.

Nine says the business now has a fully integrated cross-platform structure, which it hopes will create more opportunities for advertisers across its many media assets.

The network named Kaleta as sales director for its newly acquired radio assets last December, tasked with overseeing its top-rating AM stations, including 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR.

Richard Hunwick will lead the television and radio sales teams, while Nick Young will manage the digital and publishing division, along with data strategy.

Hunwick and Young will report to Nine’s chief sales officer Michael Stephenson, who said Kaleta had “been fantastic” during her short time at Nine.

“She has done an outstanding job and she has become a great friend,” he said. “Our loss will be someone else’s gain and I can’t wait to see who is lucky enough to have Penny in their team.”

He also clarified that changes were not driven solely by the impact of the global health crisis on the economy, but rather by the need to create a sustainable structure.

Nine believes the new transformation has resulted in Australia’s largest integrated sales team, which also includes a director of sales in each state.

Under the new formation, group business directors will be the single point of contact for all of Nine’s advertising partners across television, digital, publishing and radio.