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Seven drafts Ben Roberts-Smith as Deputy GM for Queensland

Former member of the elite Special Air Services set to turn his hand to running television.

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In one of the more left of field industry appointments, former member of the elite Special Air Services Ben Roberts-Smith will become Deputy General Manager of Seven Queensland.

Roberts-Smith, who recently fronted Sunday Night‘s Power of Ten specials, was chosen by Queensland general manager Neil Mooney after he conducted leadership seminars for the station.

The position will have responsibility for all aspects of the network, including sales, production and marketing.

Having just completed a Masters of Business Administration, Roberts-Smith told News Corp, “It’s a terrific job that gives me a great exposure to a broad spectrum of things at the macro level, and it’s clearly a good option to transition up.”

He will start his new role when he returns from ANZAC commemorations in Gallipoli.

Mooney is understood to be finishing in his position in coming months.

12 Responses

  1. Think he could be very good, and don’t think he can be compared to Eddie on nine, Ben seems a lot more level headed and more understanding of what is required than Eddie ever did, think it went to his head to think he was in charge, whereas don’t think this will affect Ben in this way, will have to wait and see but at least should give him a go.

  2. I’m surprised at the number of posters here who seem not to understand the skills gained in the Australian Defence Force; nor that senior management is a generic role.

    Those “TV skills” are all-important – I mean, it’s not as if you could take someone running the railways and put them in charge of a media network ….

    Grrr.

  3. It’s a leadership role….he has leadership qualities. Can’t see a problem.
    As long as he has good people working for him, that makes all the difference.
    It amuses me that we think you need experience or a certain skill to do a specific job. It really depends
    at the level your working at.

    He has proven to be a great leader…..give him a go….you might be surprised.

  4. Well he’s certainly got plenty of experience being parachuted into difficult situations…

    It’s like Mooney has thought to himself “Might as well do it. I’m not going to be around if the sh!t does hit the fan”.

  5. “gives me a great exposure to a broad spectrum of things at the macro level, and it’s clearly a good option to transition up”. Um, yeah. There’s usually a reason why people straight out of MBA school don’t go direct to being to Deputy GM of a TV network. As Seven’s News promos suggest – “Experience counts”.

  6. Wow, what a strange appointment. So he has a Masters of Business Admin, but what experience does he have in running a Television Network ? Reminds me of Eddie’s ill-fated appointment as the boss of the Nine Network.

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