A day in the life of the Chairman of Broadcast Australia

01 Dec 2010

As Chairman of Broadcast Australia, Gerry Moriarty continues to play a key role in the evolution of the world’s broadcast and communications sector—an industry that has already benefited from his extensive experience and expertise.

In carrying out his responsibility for overseeing the direction and performance of Broadcast Australia, no two days are the same for Chairman, Gerry Moriarty, as he guides the company through the continually evolving broadcast and communications landscape. On any given day, Gerry can find himself acting as a sounding board for the CEO, assisting with the exploration of business growth opportunities, reviewing operational issues, nurturing client relationships, or liaising with key political stakeholders—here and abroad.

 A natural leader, Gerry is also the senior communications industry adviser for Macquarie Capital Advisers and sits on the board of Global Tower Partners in the US. Here, Gerry applies his intimate knowledge of the broadcast and communications landscape to assist companies around the world in their business strategies, especially concerning mergers and acquisitions. His business acumen, coupled with his formal engineering qualifications, has seen Gerry become intimately involved in driving some of the most significant developments in the broadcast and communications sector’s history.

 Critical contribution

Gerry commenced what has turned out to be a pivotal contribution to the communications sector, as a technical trainee and panel operator at a provincial radio station in New Zealand. Here, he gained valuable hands-on experience and ignited an insatiable interest in TV and radio. He rapidly progressed to a variety of more senior positions, taking up leadership roles with key broadcast and communications businesses, including Telstra, Telstra Multimedia, FOXTEL, the ABC, TVNZ and numerous joint-venture collaborations. 

 It is no coincidence that Gerry has been in leadership roles during some of the most significant milestone events in Australia’s communications history. While at the ABC, Gerry was instrumental in driving the organisation’s involvement in the country’s original satellite program and rolling-out the ABC’s regional radio presence. He also transformed the ABC’s property holdings, purchasing the land for the ABC’s headquarters in Sydney’s Darling Harbour and the ABC’s Melbourne facility at Southbank. He also gained borrowing powers for the ABC for the first time. Furthermore, Gerry was heavily involved in the design and construction of the ABC’s Ultimo Centre—a world-leading radio centre at the time.

 Similarly, during his time at Telstra, Gerry lead the development of one of the country’s two hybrid fibre/coaxial (HFC) networks, oversaw the roll-out  of two mobile phone networks (GSM and CDMA) and headed-up the digitisation of the entire Telstra telecommunications network. With Microsoft, Gerry was also involved in the creation of On-Australia—Australia’s first ISP.

 “Communications—from mobile and fixed telecommunications, to television, radio and the internet—increasingly underpin our economy and everything we do in our lives, so it gives great meaning to my involvement in these industries,” said Gerry. “So far, my career has been a wonderful experience, as I have been fortunate to have been in a key leadership role in most of the exciting technological developments in this industry.”

 Inspiring innovators

According to Gerry, highlights of his various roles involve him meeting many company executives around the world and assisting with their business challenges and their operations. In the case of Broadcast Australia this includes visiting sites, inspecting the company’s physical assets and being inspired by the dedicated leaders, managers and staff that make Broadcast Australia an outstanding business.

 “It is extremely rewarding to be able to interact with the very professional, highly technical, and intelligent people that operate and manage the businesses,” he said. “Being in an advisory position is extremely rewarding, as it allows me the opportunity to observe businesses and contribute to their potential success.”

 Gerry is also a devoted family man and values spending quality time with family and close friends. However, throughout his professional life Gerry has had to spend considerable time away from home for business. It is an interesting twist that two of the communications technologies that Gerry helped develop allow him to stay in touch with his loved ones while away from home.

 “I am never more than a phone call away, as my mobile phone is never switched off—no matter where in the world I am, or the time of day or night,” said Gerry. “Between my mobile phone and the internet, I’m rarely out of touch with those that need me.”

 Despite his heavy workload, Gerry finds time to devote to his two pro-bono appointments—Chairman of the Bionic Ear Institute and Director of Research Australia. “Both roles are incredibly rewarding,” said Gerry. “Recently, there have been some very exciting developments in adapting much of the bionic-ear science to the development of a bionic eye, as well as leveraging nanotechnology for a range of medical applications. Similarly, at Research Australia we are involved in crucial government lobbying to retain and expand  funding for Australia’s important medical research sector.”

 Excitement ahead

While Gerry’s career to date is one crammed with landmark achievements and innovations, he has no intention of taking a backward step, or resting on his laurels. In fact, he is looking forward to growing the business—especially Airwave Australia—while continuing to contribute to Broadcast Australia’s ongoing successful transmission of broadcast signals for its very important customers the ABC and SBS.

 Furthermore, Gerry’s role with Macquarie sees him continue to advise Telstra, as the company continues its complex negotiations with the Federal Government surrounding the impending NBN rollout. “The future of broadcasting and communications in this country and around the world is extremely exciting,” said Gerry. “With new developments come new opportunities, and Broadcast Australia and Macquarie’s advisory business are well-positioned to make significant contributions.

 “Every day, I wake up with excitement and enthusiasm for what I do,” said Gerry. “I’m constantly learning new things and meeting new people. I’m exposed to new businesses and technologies in an industry that is constantly changing—I am extremely fortunate.”

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