Lisa Davies is the CEO of Australian Associated Press, the national newswire where her media career began in 2000 – first as an editorial assistant in the Brisbane bureau, then as a cadet journalist in Sydney. She joined The Daily Telegraph in 2004, working there for seven years, primarily as chief court reporter. In 2012, she moved to The Sydney Morning Herald to lead its crime and courts coverage as crime editor, and went on to serve as deputy news director, investigations editor and deputy editor. Lisa was appointed editor of The Sydney Morning Herald in 2017, a role she held for almost five years. She rejoined AAP as chief executive in February 2022.
Q1. What has been your best career move?
Listening to my 12-year-old voice that said “journalist” – to the surprise of everyone around me – when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I am not even sure I knew what a journalist was at that point! But it turns out it wasn’t a bad call. Much like that answer, I've never really planned my career, but as opportunities have arisen, I've either taken or rejected them based on my gut instinct, and it hasn’t failed me yet.
Q2. Given your time over, what would you do differently?
I would have liked to learn how to switch off earlier than I did, and how to move on from stories a bit more quickly. A big chunk of my career was reporting on crime and courts, and I loved it, but I was exposed to a lot of vicarious trauma and probably took a bit too much of it on as a personal burden in the early days.
Q3. Do you have a professional hero?
I have lots – there are some fantastic trailblazers in this industry that I’m so proud to have worked with. A woman I credit with really giving my career the push it needed, Judith Whelan, passed away recently. I’ve realised in recent years how much she helped prepare me for major leadership roles without even telling me, and how wise she was about work-life balance. Judith was driven and ambitious, gave endless hours to supporting other women, but always made time for her family, friends and taking time out to rest and decompress. It’s something I’ve not always been great at, but something many in the media industry should ponder and act on more seriously. The example she and a number of others set, of supporting women in media, triggered me to continue that legacy – one reason I'm very proud of the Gender Equality desk we’re launching at AAP this month.
Q4. What is the best advice you have been given?
Former Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood told me the day I was made editor of The Sydney Morning Herald that it was “a thinking job, not a doing job”. At the time, I confess to thinking it was an utterly ridiculous statement – I just had so much to do, to act on, to get my head around! But after the frenetic early days, I came to realise he was right. Thinking-time is crucial in leadership, contemplating issues and thinking through strategic decisions. I’ve always much preferred the doing part of leadership, but the thinking is so very important.
Q5. What do you think the media sector will look like in 10 years?
I am not great at these crystal ball questions – who could say? I suppose I believe there will always be people seeking out facts, news, information, and of course entertainment too. Some of the platforms we rely on now may disappear, and the way we consume news and media will forever be changing, but all industry leaders now and in the future must be focused on making sure facts stay at the heart of all journalism forever. Polarisation, social media’s influence, mis/disinformation and all the challenges we face now are catalysts for more change – hopefully for the better. I'm not one to advocate for a return to the good old days before the internet, no way, but I do think we just have to be smarter at connecting with people and inspiring them to engage with the facts so that they can make their own decisions. It’s something we champion at AAP: no spin, no agenda – just the facts.
Interview by Susan Horsburgh