Fiona Handbury

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Fiona Handbury (now Campbell)^[1] – Australian media executive. Following a successful NY modeling career, in 1991 Fiona and her husband Matt Handbury financed the purchase of Australia's Murdoch Magazines (MM) from Rupert Murdoch. MM already published several established Australian magazines, including Better Homes & Gardens and Family Circle, MM moved to grow the magazine portfolio matching new consumer titles to the Australian market, Marie Claire, launched in 1995, was an immediate success. MM won a silver medal at the AIP (International Press Awards) for Best International Launch of a Magazine or Newspaper and Marie Claire became the leading fashion title in Australia. The Australian Men’s Health magazine followed, securing the number one position in the local men’s lifestyle market. Ultimately MM enjoyed a three percent share of the magazine market and a seven per cent share of advertising revenue. The accelerated performance of the magazines provided a platform for brand extension into broadcast TV and Better Homes & Gardens TV was launched, pioneering 'infotainment' television in Australia. The prime time series won five of the Australian television industry’s prestigious Logie Awards (Australia's Emmy), over five consecutive years. This led to an independent book publishing company, Murdoch Books which delivered high quality publications in the Lifestyle/Leisure category and at one point was the world’s largest publisher of cookbooks. The glossy, soft-cover format revolutionised food cookbooks around the world and launched a generation of young Australian chefs, many who had begun to make their name in the pages of MM magazines. Many titles were translated into 20 languages. In 2002, 11 years after the acquisition of the company, when MM had successfully established itself, Fiona stepped down from executive and board responsibilities. The business (excluding Murdoch Books) was sold to Pacific Publications for AUS$77 million in 2004. Most recently (2007) Fiona has served as a co-producer with Kim Kindersley and Julian Lennon on the widely acclaimed award winning documentary film WhaleDreamers^[2] bringing attention to the continuing plight of both Whales and Dolphins and Aboriginal tribes.