Save
You have reached the maximum number of items saved.
Remove items from the saved list to add new ones.
AAA
The nation’s largest women-focused media company Mamamia has named founder Mia Friedman’s son as the company’s next chief executive.
Luca Lavigne, 28, will take over as chief executive in September following the departure of Nat Harvey, who has been appointed chief revenue officer of Southern Cross Media, owner of the Seven Network, Triple M and Hit radio networks, among other assets.
Luca Lavigne will succeed Nat Harvey as CEO of Mamamia from September.Luke Latty
“On behalf of the entire company, I sincerely thank Nat for her outstanding leadership during a time of great opportunity and important change in the industry,” Lavigne said in a statement Monday.
“Her leadership is defined by experience, passion and dedication. This business is a better place today because of her, and Nat will always have our friendship and our gratitude for all she did during her time with Mamamia.”
Lavigne is the son of Friedman and her husband and Mamamia co-founder Jason Lavigne. His appointment marks the latest stop in Mamamia’s rapid growth path, where he has spent the last two years as Chief Operating Officer. He has worked at Mamamia for the past 10 years, first as a content producer in 2015.
The appointment comes just a year after reports of his “handsome” six-figure salary reportedly sparked internal backlash within the company and led Lavigne’s wife, Jessie Stevens, to publicly deny the figure in media reports. Stevens has been Mamamia’s executive editor for the past four years.
Mamamia, through a spokesman, declined to comment on CEO Lavigne’s compensation, but said there were other company employees who would earn more than him.
Mia Friedman co-founded Mamamia in 2007.Cybele Malinowski
The company also refused to confirm whether he would receive the same remuneration package as Harvey, who has nearly two decades of media experience, including nearly a decade at Seven, where she was national sales director before taking the top job at Mamamia.
“Mamamia is one of the few workplaces in Australia where the gender pay gap has been closed according to annual data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Luca Lavin’s remuneration package reflects this,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“When he officially takes over as CEO in September, his remuneration will still be lower than several of Mamamia’s female employees.”
Related article
Mamamia was founded by Friedman and Jason Lavin in 2007. According to audience data, the network reaches nearly 8 million people a month through its website, podcasts and events. Australian Financial Review in January.
Jason Lavin served as the company’s CEO until Harvey’s appointment in 2024 and is now executive chairman. Friedman, meanwhile, announced last January that she would be quitting her podcast. No filterin 10 years.
“There are two main reasons for my decision. One is burnout, but not in the way you think. Doing the same thing over and over again is a form of creative burnout that I struggle with periodically,” Friedman wrote in a Substack post explaining his decision.
“The other reason for my decision is math. It’s simple really. Co-hosting Mamamia Outloud (now the third largest podcast in Australia, which is a daily show), writing this newsletter, being the co-founder of a company that has grown from me to 150+ people, plus three kids, two dogs and one granddaughter, it’s a lot.”
Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Subscribe to our Morning Edition newsletter.
Save
You have reached the maximum number of items saved.
Remove items from the saved list to add new ones.
John Buckley is a CBD columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.