Australian Community Media CEO and managing director Allen Williams has resigned from the publisher after more than 30 years.
Williams will finish up at ACM on December 18.
In a note to staff, executive chairman Antony Catalano said he was "disappointed" that Williams would be leaving but also grateful for his "outstanding" contribution to the company's evolution.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Allen over many of those 30 years and he will always have my gratitude for his decision to stay on after Alex Waislitz and I acquired ACM in July 2019," Catalano said in the note.
During his time at the company, Williams led the business from before the Rural Press and Fairfax Media merger through to its first 18 months as a privately owned and independent media company.
Williams' career spans more than 40 years and has worked in senior management roles across Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Before joining Rural Press in June 1990 to lead the national sales operation, Williams worked at News Limited, Australian Consolidated Press and The Asher Joel Media Group.
In 1993, Williams was transferred to the US for the role of president of Rural Press USA Inc.
He returned to Australia in 1996, joining to the senior management team of Rural Press and had responsibility for Agricultural business units, digital investments across Australia, New Zealand and the US, regional operations and joint venture interests.
From the Rural Press-Fairfax Media merger of May 2007 through to the December 2018 Nine-Fairfax merger and ACM’s move to private ownership in July 2019, Allen held various senior executive roles at Fairfax.
Over that time he lent his expertise to the broader media industry as a director of the former Australian Associated Press (AAP), Torch Publishing Pty Ltd and the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association (PANPA).
In New Zealand he was a Director of the Newspaper Publishers Association and Newspaper Advertising Bureau Board of Control.
He was also a member of the Supporters Council of the Young Enterprise Trust which promotes an enterprise and financially literate culture among New Zealand school students.
"On behalf of Alex, ACM’s Executive Leadership Team and everyone across the ACM business, I would like to sincerely thank Allen for his generous contributions as a leader, mentor and colleague," Catalano said in the note.
"Please join me in wishing him the very best.
"As we begin the search for a replacement, I’d like to add a further note of thanks to all staff for your continuing efforts for ACM’s audiences and customers."
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