ABC Alumni have welcomed the appointment of Kim Williams as the new Chair of the ABC Board.

“We understand that Mr Williams was on the shortlist submitted by the Nomination Panel. We are pleased that this government has stuck by its election promise to follow the process laid down in the ABC Act,” said the Alumni Board comprising Jonathan Holmes (chair), Janet Clayton, Quentin Dempster, Gael Jennings, Sandra Levy and Alan Sunderland.

“Kim Williams was the CEO of News Ltd (now News Corporation Australia) for less than two years. In a long and varied career, he has also been Chair or CEO (among others) of Musica Viva, the Australian Film Commission, Southern Star Entertainment, Foxtel, and the Sydney Opera House Trust. He has been a senior executive at the ABC and a Commissioner of the Australian Football League.

“With that varied experience, we have no doubt that Kim Williams will be aware of the vital importance of preserving the ABC’s independence from government.

“We hope that he will fight vigorously for adequate funding for the national broadcaster, and unite the Board behind Managing Director David Anderson, as the ABC continues to negotiate its necessary digital transformation,” the ABC Alumni Board said.