Domain's Melina Cruickshank has jumped ship to rival REA Group to take on the chief marketing and content officer role.
Cruickshank replaces Kieren Cooney who took on the CMO role at Foxtel following the departure of Andy Lark in October.
Cruickshank has been one of the most high-profile leaders of Fairfax-owned Domain, seen as the right-hand woman to former CEO Antony Catalano.
It's a bold move for Cruickshank with Domain and News Corp-owned REA Group fierce competitors.
During her four years in the top marketing job at Domain, Cruickshank led the revival of the Domain print magazine, the foray into content marketing with popular series Avalon Now and was part of the leadership team that drove the real estate publisher to become a $2.2bn company, separately listed on the ASX.
Her departure comes a week after Fairfax and Nine passed through their last hurdle with their proposed merger cleared by the Federal Court of Australia, ending an almost six month process. Domain, as well as streaming service Stan, were the main merger motivators in the acquisition from Nine.
Outgoing REA Group CEO Tracey Fellows, who will exit the business next year for a global News Corp role, said Cruickshank was a "standout candidate".
"She is passionate about this sector and has a track record of success leading teams and growing product and content revenue streams in Australia and abroad. Melina will drive our global marketing and content strategy, working with our talented teams in Australia and around the globe," Fellows said.
Prior to Domain, Cruickshank was group director of Life Media at Fairfax leading the product and commercial content
divisions that launched digital brands Traveller, Daily Life, Executive Style, Essential Baby and Good Food.
Cruickshank said it was a difficult decision to leave Domain.
"I’ve enjoyed my time here and am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given. The transition offers a global role for the industry leader, and I’m excited about stepping up to lead teams at that level. I also have enormous respect for Tracey and the REA executive team and am excited to work with them," she said.
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