Business News has moved to boost the volume and quality of its content by bringing several new journalists on to the team for 2022.
Headlining the additions is veteran political reporter Gary Adshead, who has more than 30 years in the industry and will bring a wealth of experience and drive. Adshead has four WA Journalist of the Year awards to his name, bringing the total won by current Business News reporters to seven - more than any other newsroom in the state.
He had originally agreed to join this publication on a part-time basis, but decided to make the move full-time after starting work with the growing team.
Meanwhile, reporter Simone Grogan has joined BN after a year working at the Market Herald and now leads our breaking coverage of ASX-listed WA companies. Grogan will soon be joined by Nadia Budihardjo, from PerthNow, who has made a name for herself by covering local government and property development issues during her three years working with the former Community Newspaper Group and will replace departing journalist Jessica Mascione.
And senior journalist Claire Tyrrell has taken over as property writer for Business News, after more than a decade in journalism at The West Australian and its regional group. Tyrrell also worked in London for Professional Adviser magazine.
Managing editor Sean Cowan said he was confident readers would appreciate the growing depth of coverage in Business News's magazine, on its website and in its suite of podcasts.
The investment in journalism made by the company over the past two years has already been rewarded with a big increase in subscription sales.
Chief executive Charles Kobelke said the company was on track to record 30 percent growth in subscription sales this financial year, and would continue to focus on growing and attracting journalistic talent to augment an established team that included senior editor Mark Beyer and senior journalist Matt Mackenzie.
"Our growth has really been driven by the increased contribution from our editorial team," he said.
"We have renewed our focus on breaking news, spearheaded by the recruitment of journalist Jesinta Burton, and the addition of Gary Adshead to the team.
"And we continue to provide our readers with the depth and context that reporters like Mark Beyer, Matthew Mackenzie, Jordan Murray and Madeleine Stephens are known for."
Mr Kobelke said subscriptions had grown by 98 percent over the past four years, while the number of people attending Business News events had increased by more than 300 percent.
"When I started as CEO of Business News, I had some ambitious growth plans - plans that many said were unrealistic," he said.
"However, so far, we have found a way to get there and we are still only at the beginning.
"That's why we have launched a suite of new projects. Last year, we published our first ever Cutting Edge and Limitless special publications. This year, we will produce the Power 500, your guide to WA's most influential people.
"We have launched other products, like our successful At Close of Business podcast, all while growing our online coverage. To further demonstrate our conviction as to WA's positive future, we relocated to St Georges Terrace last year and we have since hired new staff to help pursue our growth ambitions."
