Sydney, April 10, 2019: Matt Rowley has been appointed CEO of Pedestrian Group, with founders Chris Wirasinha and Oscar Martin moving from full-time to advisory roles as they explore new ventures.
Under the leadership of Wirasinha and Martin, Pedestrian Group has carved out a space as one of Australia’s most successful digital publishers. Its properties now include PEDESTRIAN.TV and the Australian editions of Business Insider, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker and POPSUGAR.
Rowley joins managing director Brian Florido and publisher Vanessa Lawrence to form the Pedestrian Group leadership team.
“Pedestrian has gone from strength to strength since it was founded 14 years ago and now is the next step in its growth story with Matt Rowley coming on board as CEO,” Chris Janz, Nine’s Managing Director of Publishing, said. “We’re confident we have the right leadership in place to continue the growth of Pedestrian and its amazing portfolio of digital properties.
“I want to acknowledge the role of both Oscar and Chris in building Pedestrian from scratch to the powerhouse it is today. I am pleased that they will be advising the business, and we will continue to draw on their expertise as we build more creative ways for advertisers to tap into the youth market and the broader group.”
Matt Rowley is a highly experienced media executive who has held a number of senior roles, most recently as Fairfax Media’s Chief Revenue Officer and then Nine’s Director of Sales – Publishing. He successfully led new levels of revenue growth across both print and digital.
“In the past decade Pedestrian TV has carved out a unique place in the Australian media landscape. Nobody does a better job of speaking to a millennial and Gen Z audience,” Rowley said. “I’m pumped to be joining a high-performing leadership team and driving the growth of a once-in-a-generation business.”
Chris Wirasinha and Oscar Martin founded Pedestrian.TV in 2005, launching it initially as a DVD magazine focused on youth culture and lifestyle before moving to the well-known web platform.
Now a household name, Pedestrian.TV has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and has won multiple awards. It has been listed on the AFR/BRW Fast 100 list for five years as one of the fastest growing businesses in the country and is the only brand to win the Mumbrella Media Brand of the Year Award in consecutive years.
Chris Wirasinha said: “Pedestrian has been a once in a lifetime adventure. The last 14 years has been such a fun ride, the direct result of being able to share it with the phenomenal team of superstars who’ve been part of the story.
“We always wanted Pedestrian to leave a lasting legacy long beyond Oscar and myself, and now is the right time to hand the reins over to Matt and the team so that Pedestrian can continue to grow over the coming decades.”
Oscar Martin said: “The last 14 years at Pedestrian and the journey from ‘plastizine’ (plastic DVD magazine) to Nine acquisition has been remarkable. I’m most proud of the incredibly talented, ambitious and hardworking Pedestrian staff past and present who have made Pedestrian the magical company it is today. It’s the end of a life-changing era, but the start of an exciting next chapter for Pedestrian Group.”
Rowley commences in his new role on April 15.
For more information:
Miranda Ward
Communications Manager, Nine
0450 533 286
miward@nine.com.au
