Luca Lavigne and Nat Harvey. Credit: Mamamia
Mamamia has appointed Luca Lavigne CEO, with outgoing chief executive Nat Harvey leaving the business in early September after accepting a role with the Southern Cross Media Group.
Lavigne, the son of co-founders Jason Lavigne and Mia Freedman, has been Mamamia’s chief operating officer and chief product officer for the past two years and has worked across the business for more than a decade.
He has led the company’s shift towards a dual advertising and subscriber model, expanded its offerings beyond traditional media, and overseen the growth of its podcast network and move into video.
Lavigne thanked Harvey for her leadership during her time as CEO.
“On behalf of the entire company, I wholeheartedly thank Nat for her outstanding leadership through a period of great opportunity and momentous change for the industry,” he said.
“Her leadership is defined by expertise, passion and dedication. This is a better business today because of her, and Nat will always have our friendship and our gratitude for everything she’s done during her time with Mamamia.”
Harvey said leaving Mamamia was a difficult decision after spending several years with the company.
“The decision to leave Mamamia was an incredibly tough one. I’ve adored my time here but an opportunity came up that I just could not walk away from,” she said.
“I've worked closely with Luca since the day I started here and watched him lead the biggest transformations in this business from the inside.
“He is deeply experienced in this business and knows what Mamamia needs to thrive through the challenges facing the media sector.”
Harvey and Lavigne will work together on the transition over the coming weeks, including meetings with industry partners.
The leadership change follows three senior commercial appointments made in July.
Lanai Wiadrowski has taken responsibility for commercial advertising and partnership revenue, Danni Wright has moved into commercial strategy and long-term client partnerships, and Michila Macleod has expanded her role to include leadership across South Australia and Western Australia.
Lavigne has also appointed Zara Curtis as chief marketing officer after moving from content, while Ruth Devine joins the leadership team as content director.
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