George Savvides will step down as CEO of Australian public broadcaster SBS | News

Australian public broadcaster SBS is facing a changing of the guard as current chairman George Savvides announces his intention to step down at the end of his term in July 2025.

Savvides said he will not seek re-election as part of his plan to rebalance work and family responsibilities.

The outgoing Chairman has served on the Management Board since early 2017 as Deputy Chairman, and his departure will mark the end of his second term as Chairman.

Under his tenure, SBS has implemented new initiatives to ensure public health and cultural information is provided during the pandemic and has been a strong advocate for social inclusion, particularly when it comes to increasing First Nations and multicultural stories and content on the broadcaster. Savvides said: “I am proud to have served as Chairman and Vice-Chair of SBS during this critical period, noting in particular the proactive work of SBS to collaborate in a range of areas to deliver better social and economic outcomes for all the communities we serve, and to support participation in all aspects of life in this country.”

The government will now initiate a merit-based selection process to appoint the next chairman.

Meanwhile, in other board moves, non-executive director Peeyush Gupta will also step down from his position in November after reaching the 10-year limit of service on the SBS board.

Fellow non-executive director Aaron Fa’Aoso has rejoined the board after taking a short leave of absence following the Australian Labor Party’s preselection to stand in the October state elections in Queensland.