Executive Search & Organisation Build, NITV
EP Australia was exclusively selected to recruit the entire organisation for NITV, the $48M federally funded national Indigenous television channel.
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Overview
The engagement began with the search for NITV's founding CEO, commissioned by the sub-committee reporting to the then Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and grew into a full build-out of the organisation from the ground up.
The Challenge
NITV needed to be built from scratch: a new organisational structure, a CEO who could establish the channel's vision under government mandate, and a workforce spanning news, commissioning, production, creative, corporate, sales, programming, acquisitions, classification, marketing, publicity, scheduling, traffic and journalism - all while maintaining deep cultural understanding and a strong Indigenous employment focus.
Our Approach
EP Australia led the search that resulted in the appointment of Pat Turner as CEO, then designed the organisational structure to support the Board, CEO and government vision, building each role from scratch. From there, EP Australia recruited 70+ key positions across the organisation. Patricia was subsequently appointed as outsourced HR Director for NITV for two and a half years, working closely with the CEO and Director of Television to maintain the organisation's Indigenous staffing levels.
Criteria for Success
Success required our recruitment process to perform at scale. Cultural sensitivity and genuine relationships across Indigenous and diverse organisations was critical, and the ability to identify candidates with the potential to grow into roles in a brand-new organisation, all in service of a specific government mandate.
Outcomes
NITV was successfully staffed and structured from the ground up, sustaining an Indigenous staff level of over 70% of its workforce. The organisation went on to become a recognised institution in Australian media, with the engagement extending well beyond initial recruitment into years of ongoing HR partnership.
70+
2.5
70%
Meet Pat Turner AO, Former CEO, NITV
“Patricia has been engaged by National Indigenous Television Limited since December 2006, assisting in the recruitment of our staff, with her initial involvement coming through working with the Board to find the CEO of NITV. NITV currently employs over 70% of Indigenous staff, and Patricia played a strong role in helping us achieve this ratio.
She has displayed a genuine commitment to providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with new and exciting work opportunities in the creative screen industry, and has been particularly gifted in recognising candidates with the potential to succeed. I have no hesitation in recommending Patricia Powell-Hughes as a highly professional employment broker and as a creative and innovative operator in small business”
Pat Turner AO, 2026 NAIDOC Person of the Year; former CEO, NITV
“I have known and worked with EP Australia for many years and attest that the work EP Australia have been doing in the media space has been of great quality and professional. They have worked with many Indigenous and diverse organisations and understand the need and nuance for cultural sensitivity.
EP Australia was appointed to conduct the search for the CEO of the newly funded national Indigenous television, went on to design the organisational structure to support the Board, CEO and Government vision, and recruited 70 key positions across the organisation.She has displayed a genuine commitment to providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with new and exciting work opportunities in the creative screen industry, and has been particularly gifted in recognising candidates with the potential to succeed. I have no hesitation in recommending Patricia Powell-Hughes as a highly professional employment broker and as a creative and innovative operator in small business”
Phillipa McDermott, Director of First Nations Talent, Deloitte Australia; Chair, Bangarra Dance Theatre
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