Brian Mangano replaces Pippa Leary as CEO of Swift Media; company's shift towards WA cited

Swift Media announced last week that Brian Mangano has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Pippa Leary, who has stepped down after two years in the role and will move to a non-executive director role.

In the announcement, Leary cited the need to have a CEO based in Western Australia now that the company has shifted the majority of its operations and assets to the state. "After we pivoted toward mining during COVID-19, divested non-core parts of the business and increased our concentration of resources in Western Australia, it makes sense for Swift to now have a WA-based Chief Executive Officer.

Darren Smorgon, Swift's Chairman, said that the Board is impressed with his excellent connections within the Western Australia business community, and the M&A conversations that he has already brought to the forefront.

"Brian has already taken a leadership position within the Swift business, necessitated by the ongoing isolation of Western Australia, and his strong track record in managing and acquiring businesses is exactly what Swift needs at this stage of its evolution," Smorgon said.

Mangano was appointed as Swift's CFO in April this year. Prior to it, he held various financial leadership positions in construction and pharmaceutical companies including being the Chief Financial Officer at Veris. He has been a shareholder of Swift for some years prior, according to the announcement.

Leary, meanwhile, will take up a non-executive director role in the company. During her two-year stint at the helm, she had overhauled Swift's strategy to divest its less profitable businesses and concentrate on those areas where the business could actually grow and develop consistently. Her move to a non-executive role suggests that she, or the board of directors, may feel that her work is done in this area.