Anita Anita Jacoby AM

Anita Jacoby is a professional non-executive director. An entrepreneur with broad experience in executive, governance, regulatory and strategic comms/marketing roles across media, business, the arts, culture and NFP sectors. She is currently Chair of the ABC Advisory Council and an Associate Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Federal Government’s regulatory body overseeing broadcasting, radio, telecommunications and online. In her most recent executive role, she was Managing Director of ITV Studios, responsible for the local subsidiary of British media giant, ITV plc.

Anita was a driving force behind one of Australia’s most successful independent television production companies creating many successful series, including Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, The Gruen Transfer, Hungry Beast and Elders. She has worked in senior production roles for all Australia’s commercial networks as well as the ABC, SBS and Foxtel, on high profile programs such as 60 Minutes, Witness with Jana Wendt, Sunday, Laws and Today.

Her work has seen Anita awarded several Australian Film Institute awards, an Australian Academy of Cinema & TV Arts award, an Order of Australia Media Award, a Logie, Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union Award and numerous other professional awards.

A strong advocate for women in media and leadership, Anita is a board member of Chief Executive Women. She is a graduate of the AICD’s Chairs Mentoring Program; a director of Women in Media and Documentary Australia Foundation and an Ambassador for 1 Million Women. She is also an Ambassador and Chair of a governance committee for the International Duke of Edinburgh Award. Previously, she was a board member of headspace (National Youth Mental Health Foundation) and a member of its Finance, Audit & Risk Committee, the Australian Film Institute/AACTA, Arts Law Centre Australia, The Funding Network and the NSW Alzheimer’s Advisory Board.

Anita mentors many women in the media industry. She also supports a number of NFP’s including the Walkley Foundation (establishing the annual Jacoby Walkley Scholarship in 2013 for young broadcast journalists), Alzheimer’s Australia and the Sydney Film Festival.

She was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019 for ‘significant service to broadcasting and print media, and to community mental health groups’.

In May 2022 Anita’s first book, Secrets Beyond the Screen was published.