SBS appoints new Chief Audience and Content Officer

SBS has appointed John Sintras as its Chief Audience and Content Officer, succeeding Hellen Kellie, who passed away in December.

The role oversees SBS brands, marketing, audience engagement and analytics across TV, radio and online.

A media executive with a career spanning three decades, Sintras was most recently based in New York, as Global President, Business Development and Product Innovation at IPG Mediabrands. Prior to this, he was CEO and Chairman at Starcom Mediavest Australia.

SBS Managing Director, Michael Ebeid AM, said: “John is a seasoned and respected Australian media leader with a strong track record of inspiring teams to make a purposeful difference – I’m delighted to welcome him to SBS’s Executive Team.

“As SBS increases its commitment to connect Australians with distinctive content and services on a range of devices and platforms, John’s passion in leveraging transformation and technology to deliver business growth, together with his in-depth knowledge of data optimisation and insights, will be invaluable for SBS’s future as a multiplatform digital broadcaster.”

John Sintras said: “I’m excited to be joining the great team at SBS. As the son of Greek immigrant parents, I’m especially connected to SBS’s Charter to inspire all Australians to explore, appreciate and celebrate our diverse world.

“Australia continues to be a shining beacon of successful multiculturalism to the world. I’m looking forward to ensuring we continue to create and share meaningful and entertaining content that represents our many communities and cultures, whilst ensuring audiences can engage with SBS using personally relevant and innovative technology and platforms.”

He begins on Monday.

John has been a passionate contributor to the media industry and community issues, having sat on numerous industry and not-for-profit boards over his career. In 2012, John was the inaugural inductee into the Australian Media Federation Hall of Fame and was also named ‘Marketer of the Year’ by The Australian Marketing Institute. John is also one of the founding Directors of the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of the United States, in addition to being a long-serving Board member of Australia’s Cerebral Palsy Alliance.