Wayne Borg, who has headed the Fox Studios Australia operations in Sydney for the past four years, has been appointed president and general manager of studios at New Fox. He will relocate from Australia to Los Angeles.
Fox Studios Australia, which is to remain part of 21st Century Fox and will become part of Disney following the yet-to-be completed merger, has picked an interim managing director. It has not made the appointment public, but Australian local media sources have named him as John Hughes, head of commercial and operations.
Under the plans announced in December 2017 by 21st Century Fox executive chairman, Rupert Murdoch, 21st Century Fox will be sold to Disney in a deal then valued at $69 billion. The transaction is currently expected to close in March 2019.
Murdoch will also create a “New Fox” company which retains a portfolio of news, sports and broadcast businesses, including Fox News Channel, Fox Broadcasting and the Fox Business Network. New Fox will also own the Fox studio lot in Los Angeles. It is understood that New Fox will lease the L.A. studio to Disney, for Disney to continue using it for a while.
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Borg took over at Fox Studios Australia in 2014 from Nancy Romano after serving for six years as chief commercial officer and president international of Abu Dhabi- based twofour54. There his remit included oversight of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and Media Summit, Tropfest Arabia, the training academy and production and broadcast facilities.
Previously Borg joined Universal Pictures International in 2000 with responsibility for Australia/NZ. In 2003, he was promoted to VP for Latin America and Asia Pacific, and moved to London.
Staff remaining with the slimmed down 21st Century Fox – Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight and Fox 2000, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21, FX Networks, Fox Sports Regional Networks, Fox Networks Group International, Star India, and 21st Century Fox’s interests in National Geographic Partners, Hulu, Sky, Tata Sky and Endemol Shine Group – will learn their fates after March. Some may be offered positions in the enlarged Disney group, others will be offered redundancy packages.