NZME names James Butcher new Chief Commercial Officer

AUCKLAND, Today: NZME proudly announces the strategic appointment of James Butcher as the new Chief Commercial Officer, heralding a significant leadership enhancement for the media company.

Butcher, a pivotal figure at NZME since 2021 as Head of Digital Audio, has significantly contributed to the company’s digital audio content and commercial strategies, including work with iHeartRadio and the NZME Podcast Network. His extensive leadership experience in media sales and agencies spans New Zealand, the UK, and Australia.

NZME CEO Michael Boggs commends Butcher for his substantial contributions. “James has played a pivotal role in NZME achieving ongoing growth across our digital audio platforms, despite challenging economic conditions. Just last year NZME achieved digital audio revenue growth of 23%, our podcast revenues grew by 54% over the same period, and we have retained top spot on the Podcast Ranker for 30 consecutive months. As well as having built exceptional relationships internally.

“James has played a pivotal role in NZME achieving ongoing growth across our digital audio platforms.”

“James is well regarded by our agency partners and clients – he understands our business well and he’s a passionate, collaborative team player. We have a hugely talented Commercial leadership team, supported by a strong, committed wider team, and I am confident James will do an excellent job in his new role, carrying on the great momentum we’ve already seen in the first couple of months of the year as we continue to track ahead of 2023,” says Boggs.

Butcher expresses his enthusiasm for his new role and the future at NZME. “I’m proud to be taking on the role of CCO, continuing to evolve the way NZME connects with our customers, offering the best solutions for them to grow their brands and their businesses.

“We have a multitude of recognised, much-loved brands across our Audio, Publishing and Property platforms, and combined with our world class Commercial team who strive to deliver results for our customers across the country, I’m confident we’ll continue to deliver excellent results for our valued clients and audiences,” he says.

Butcher’s tenure as Chief Commercial Officer begins today, Monday 26 February 2024.