Hugh Marks merged Nine and Fairfax. Now he's the man poised to ...

Until a little over a fortnight ago, there was no inkling of who would replace David Anderson as managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Normally, speculation runs rife within an ABC-obsessed media world and inside the organisation with a laundry list of potential candidates, occasionally planted surreptitiously by would-be hopefuls.

This time the board leaks were plugged tight and only one serious candidate was mentioned: Hugh John Marks.

Even internally, there was little if any speculation about the identity of the successful candidate or who, indeed, was in the running.

A unanimous choice by the ABC board, chairman Kim Williams couldn't disguise his joy in announcing the appointment.

"Hugh was a stand-out candidate, not only for his experience across every facet of the media, but for his strong track record of leading media organisations and driving substantial and sustained audience engagement," he said.

"He is the right person to lead the ABC as we plan right now for renewal and investment."

Marks's ascension to the top of the media pile wasn't via the traditional route.

He'd never aspired to be a journalist, nor did he cut his teeth in the hurly-burly of television advertising and sales.

Instead, he became a lawyer, beginning his career at top-tier firm Mallesons.

His first foray into media came in 1995 when he snared a job at Nine as legal counsel. He was just 29 and only five years out of university.

Law clearly was just a stepping stone because within two years Marks was appointed director of film and television after utilising new tools that measured audience and collated data around viewing habits.

After eight years at Nine, he departed, heading off to production firm Southern Star which, at that time, was pioneering reality television shows such as Big Brother.

While their paths never crossed, years earlier his new chairman Kim Williams also ran Southern Star as his career morphed from music to film.

Hugh Marks oversaw the merger of Nine Entertainment and Fairfax Media in 2018. (AAP: Joel Carrett)

Marks returned to Nine almost a decade later. Rather than management, this time around Marks was elevated to the board.

But he happened to be in the right spot at the right time. In 2015, after David Gyngell stepped aside as chief executive, Marks was an obvious choice as a replacement.

Traditional media, both print and broadcast, was under pressure as advertisers were increasingly lured towards the new internet search and social media giants that had developed far more sophisticated methods of targeting advertising dollars to individual consumers.

Nine had always been a rough-and-tumble work environment.

Up until the 1990s, with money flowing freely as advertisers clamoured for space, presenters, hosts and reporters were showered with cash and partied like there was no tomorrow.

Dominated by the Packer family and a feudal if not despotic management style, the Nine culture found itself at odds with the changing nature of Australian society.

Within a short period, Marks was forced to confront gender pay issues after Lisa Wilkinson demanded she be paid the equivalent of her on-air Today Show partner Karl Stefanovic, a situation that was never resolved.

Then he dumped the cricket in favour of tennis, a decision that would have appalled Kerry Packer but one that was financially necessary.

Still, Nine's share price continued to head south. From a $2 list price in 2013, it more than halved through 2016, and while it clawed back some of the lost ground the following year, drastic action was needed to shore up the company's finances.

The Fairfax deal — involving the nation's leading newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review — breathed new life into the two ailing companies, creating a $4-billion multi-platform media operation.

Marks then cemented control of Fairfax's partly owned Macquarie radio network, taking full ownership of 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR.

In addition to the traditional platforms, it owned streaming service Stan and a controlling stake in property-listing group Domain.

But his plans were derailed by the pandemic in 2020 and by revelations of his personal involvement with a senior staffer that ultimately forced him to step down.

By the time he walked out the door in 2021, with interest rates on the floor and a stock market boom underway, Nine's share price was riding high, with the company valued at more than $5 billion.

But it has since been under pressure as a cost of living crisis has ravaged revenues and Nine's long-held tolerance of bullying and sexual harassment has exploded spectacularly into the public domain.

In the intervening years, Marks returned to producing content, establishing a studio, Dreamchaser, with fellow executive Carl Fennessey.

But David Anderson's impending departure from the ABC paved the way for a new opportunity.

While his return to mainstream media at the ABC comes with a much smaller salary than in his previous roles, it promises to be every bit as challenging, a prospect he seems undaunted by.

"It is an amazing time to be working in media," he said.

"There are so many opportunities to deliver quality news and entertainment to Australians, but choices to make in what we prioritise in doing so. Making the right choices is what will determine our success into the future."