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Alumnus manages Australia’s largest multi-media company
As a general manager at Australia’s largest media company, Fairfax Media, Wendell Williams (’90) has come a long way from selling ads for a student newspaper.
A native of Atlanta, Williams grew up in the Buckhead area, where many generations of his family were from, before moving to Marietta at the age of 12.
“Both sides of my family have ties to Atlanta and there was a rivalry between those who were University of Georgia fans (his father’s side) and those who were Georgia Tech fans (his mother’s side), and yet I ended up going to neither,” Williams said. “Now I find myself about as far away from Atlanta and Georgia as possible.”
Williams enrolled at Georgia Southern in 1986, and also became active in the Greek system as an undergraduate. As Sigma Chi chapter editor, he received his first opportunity to work in marketing and communications, writing for and promoting his fraternity. “Getting published in the national Sigma Chi magazine cemented my love of journalism and inspired me to continue my pursuit to work in media,” Williams said.
Williams also worked as the advertising manager for the local independent student newspaper, selling and designing ads for local businesses.
He didn’t set out to graduate with a communication arts degree when he first came to Georgia Southern. Rather, his original intentions were to earn a business degree. That is, until he took a required communication arts class where the professor talked through marketing and communications principles.
“I realized then that I was more interested in the communications aspect than the business principles,” Williams said. “Luckily I was able to study and have a career that combines both.”
Pamela Bourland-Davis, chair of the Communication Arts department, played a particularly pivotal role in Williams’ education by encouraging all of her students to think critically – a skill Williams said is imperative in the “real world.” “She helped shape my love of communication and media, and I would like to think I’ve put that to good use,” Williams said.
Williams has most certainly put his passions to use. With a resume that boasts previous employment positions working for The New York Times in strategic partnerships, and vice president at the Fox Group global development firm, it is no wonder that Fairfax Media selected Williams to lead the strategizing of the company as well as overseeing 400-plus newspapers and over 300 Web sites in Australia and New Zealand. Williams manages all international media contracts and negotiations, as well as the monetization of Fairfax Media’s content worldwide.
Having also lived abroad, briefly, in Tokyo and Amsterdam for business purposes, Williams has come to call Sydney his second home. Since he first made the move to Australia in January 2006, Williams said he’s never regretted the decision.
“There is a great quality of life here in Australia and a wonderful work/life balance that I enjoy,” Williams said. “It doesn’t hurt that Sydney is probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”
Although the communication arts degree Williams earned at Georgia Southern wasn’t a part of his original plan when he first came to Statesboro, he seems to be more than pleased with the outcome of his decision to venture out into the world of media.
“I didn’t necessarily plan my career path, but I did make the most of every opportunity and look forward to the next one – here in Australia, in the U.S., or elsewhere,” Williams said.