Star News Group classified manager Amanda Tarley, winner of the prestigious Hegarty Prize, with Qantas regional general manager Terry Simpson.STAR News Group classified manager Amanda Tarley has won the prestigious Hegarty Prize, which recognises management potential in young newspaper executives.
The award was announced at the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association (PANPA) annual conference held in Cairns last week.
PANPA’s membership comprises every significant newspaper company in Australia and New Zealand, as well as most Englishlanguage newspapers in South East Asia and the South Pacific. Ms Tarley, 28, was nominated by Star News Group managing director Paul Thomas for her drive, passion and management potential. She won a roundtheworld trip to study international newspaper operations, sponsored by Qantas.
Ms Tarley said the shock of winning such a prestigious award was still sinking in.
“I am really grateful to the team here at Star News Group and, in particular, Paul Thomas and advertising manager Rhonda Welsh,” she said.
“It was their guidance and support that allowed me to grow as far as I have and given me the opportunity to grow with the company.”
Ms Tarley started at Star News Group at the age of 19 in 1996 as a consultant in the classified department. By 2000 she was promoted to supervisor of the classified department, taking on management responsibilities.
She was soon promoted to classified manager in 2003, and now oversees the classified pages for 26 publications and is responsible for the recruitment and development of staff, setting and meeting budgets and interdepartmental relationships.
As the youngest member of the Victorian Country Press marketing committee, Ms Tarley has taken an active role in the classified workshop and advertising seminar, organising guest speakers, and chairing sessions.
She has also been involved in training classified staff for other member newspapers.
Ms Tarley said the award had been an excitement for everyone at the newspaper, including those who had nominated her.
The Hegarty Prize was established in 1987 in memory of Patrick Hegarty, executive director of PANPA from 1983 to 1986, and is presented during the Norske Skog Newspaper of the Year Awards dinner at PANPA’s annual conference held last week in Cairns.
