Sky Media names new MD

Sky has appointed Brett Aumuller as managing director of Sky Media. 

This follows former MD Tim Pearson’s shock exit last September, after only six months in the role.

Aumuller is currently deputy MD at Now, the online streaming service that was launched by Sky in 2012. 

In an internal communication to the Sky Media team, seen by Campaign, Sky chief business officer Patrick Behar said that Aumuller will join the advertising partnership and distribution leadership team and transition into his new role over the coming months.

He will start splitting his time from May and is set to take on his new role full-time from July.

Aumuller joins Sky Media at a time it is attracting new advertisers to TV through advances in addressable advertising. The roll out of CFlight, which measures audiences across linear and VOD to remove duplication, "shoppable" and "pause" ad formats, and Sky Glass are other innovations that have recently been launched.

Behar said: “[Aumuller] will lead our Sky Media ambition in the UK and also play a key role in driving pan-European growth with agencies. 

“With 20-plus years at Sky, Brett brings a wealth of experience. During his two years with Now, he has been key to its growth and transformation.”

Ruth Cartwright, who joined as Sky Media's investment director at the same time as Pearson, remains a key figure in Sky Media's leadership team, alongside capability and strategy director, Dev Sangani.

Sky Group veteran

Aumuller, who began his career at Ansett Australia in 1996, has spent the majority of his career within the Sky Group, after joining as financial controller at Sky Interactive in 2001. 

He has held several positions during his time at the company, including managing director of trading.

Prior to joining Now in 2020, Aumuller was chief financial officer at Sky Italia. Behar said that, during his time at Sky Italia, Aumuller started the transformation of the business from a direct-to-home-only proposition into a multi-platform organisation that includes digital terrestrial TV, over-the-top media and Sky via Fibre.

Behar added: “His successes at Sky mean he already has a deep understanding of our market and how we work, and fully embodies the values that make Sky the best place to be.”