Diana Eilert appointed Director, Corporate Development and Strategy

Diana Eilert appointed Director, Corporate Development and Strategy of News Digital Media and The Australian

The chief executive of News Digital Media (NDM) and The Australian, Richard Freudenstein, today announced the appointment of Diana Eilert as director, corporate development and strategy, of both businesses.

Starting her new role on March 22nd Ms Eilert will be responsible for identifying, analysing, and implementing strategic growth opportunities to meet revenue and profit growth targets.

 In addition to her responsibilities with NDM and The Australian, Ms Eilert will also work on wider News Limited strategic initiatives. Ms Eilert joins News Limited after a period of consulting to the company, and will report to Mr Freudenstein.

Mr Freudenstein said “Diana is an executive of the highest calibre and I am delighted she is joining us on a permanent basis. “Having held senior roles with several major international firms, including running the largest division of Suncorp, she has outstanding business acumen, which will prove invaluable as we continue our aggressive growth plans.

 “After just six months with News as a consultant, Diana has made a huge contribution by quickly grasping the fundamentals of our business and then identifying and implementing key strategic opportunities.

“I look forward to her helping us realise our high ambitions for NDM and The Australian.” Ms Eilert said

 “Having had a taste of the culture and style that has led to the tremendous success of News locally and globally, I feel very fortunate to be joining the company at a time when there are so many opportunities to grow and change the way News competes in Australia.

 “I look forward to making a strong contribution to the shape of the future, and working with the many talented people who have driven this success.”

After commencing her career in sales and marketing roles with NRMA and AAMI, Ms Eilert worked with Citibank for 10 years where she held a number of senior executive roles including vice president of mortgages, head of the funds management business and vice president of Citibank Direct, the bank’s direct sales and marketing team.

In 1998 Ms Eilert stepped back from full-time work to spend time with her three children and spent five years consulting as a partner and principal with IBM and AT Kearney.

In 2003, Ms Eilert joined Suncorp, initially as group executive general insurance running the company’s entire insurance division, which had revenues of $2.6b and employed over 3500 staff.

She later held the held the role of group executive people, technology, marketing and joint ventures with responsibility for the functions of the entire Suncorp Group.

In 2007, Diana returned to Sydney and was appointed chief executive and managing director of Clarius Group, an ASX listed company specialising in contracting, recruitment and IT services across Asia Pacific.

Ms Eilert holds a Bachelor of Science in Pure Maths (University of Sydney) and a Master of Commerce in Marketing and Finance from the University of NSW.