The ABC’s Director Audiences Leisa Bacon has announced she is leaving the national broadcaster after a decade leading its core marketing and strategic audience functions.
Leisa has led the ABC’s marketing and audience teams through a period of great change and transformation as the ABC has evolved its digital platforms while remaining committed to delivering high-quality content to the public. Tracking rapidly changing audience trends in today’s fragmented media landscape has required a creative and data-driven marketing leader and Leisa has met these challenges and delivered significant results.
Leisa’s achievements include initiating content collaborations across the ABC, leading the audience launches for the ABC Kids app, ABC listen app, ABC NEWS app, log in to watch on ABC iview and ensuring ABC brands and services have kept pace with the changes in audience expectations.
Leisa has been integral in bringing the Audiences team together into a truly cross-functional team structure, reinforcing a culture of collaboration and prioritisation across both the team and the broader ABC.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson said Leisa’s achievements and experience prior to joining the ABC in 2014 meant she has been able to provide a strong understanding of audiences, stakeholder management, marketing, communications, digital, experience design and change management to the organisation.
“Leisa came to the ABC with the task of centralising our marketing and audience requirements to meet changing audience engagement in an increasingly fragmented media market.
“The ABC needed a sharp and dynamic marketing professional to meet these significant changes in the industry and Leisa has always stepped up to the challenge.
“Leisa has developed and led strategies to ensure the ABC remains relevant to audiences everywhere. She is passionate about the ABC and has been committed to making sure Australians have been aware of the contribution we make to the community through the services that entertain, inform and educate.
“Leisa played a key role in managing the ABC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the ABC remained an important and central source of news, information, and entertainment during that challenging time for all Australians.
“I want to thank her for her hard work and many contributions she has made across 10 years in the role. She has been a valuable executive and colleague, and we wish her well for the next stage in an already impressive career.”
Leisa Bacon said: “Since joining the ABC I have always viewed this as the best job in the country. We serve the Australian public, contribute to culture, and literally produce the best content in the country.
“I will always be an incredible supporter of the ABC, my amazing Audiences team and my fabulous boss, David Anderson.
“However, all things need to keep evolving. After an incredible 10 years with the ABC, I am going to be leaving on a bit of a career high. We, the ABC, are #1 in digital news, BVOD, TV network reach and trust.
“For the first time in my career I have long service leave and I plan on using this to take an extended holiday.”
Leisa Bacon joined the ABC as Director of Audience and Marketing in March 2014 after senior roles across the consumer products and health sectors, and arts.
Leisa’s final day at the ABC will be 6 September. Karen Madden will be Acting Director Audiences for the interim while the ABC undertakes a recruitment process.