Who is Siobhan McKenna? The ‘irreplaceable’ former Murdoch aide given a top diplomatic posting

Former News Corp executive Siobhan McKenna will be Australia’s next consul general to New York in a surprise appointment given her background as a key strategist and trusted “right hand” to Lachlan Murdoch, a vocal Labor critic.

The diplomatic posting in Donald Trump’s home town places one of Australia’s most influential media insiders and corporate leaders into a city where trade and conservative political networks intersect.

Veteran media analyst Peter Cox says the choice is about as far from appointing a traditional Labor stalwart as possible.

“The appointment of Lachlan’s ‘right-hand person’ will come as a surprise to many, but it would not have been made unless there’s a good relationship there with the government,” says Cox.

While McKenna is best known for her long association with News Corp, Labor governments have previously elevated her into politically sensitive roles, which included chairing the national broadband enterprise, NBN Co, and, currently, Australia Post.

The consul-general role is designed to promote Australia’s economic interests in major global centres, where finance and politics often overlap. The position traditionally supports the broader strategy marked out by an ambassador.

Project Murdoch

The appointment marks a significant pivot for McKenna, who formerly headed News Corp’s broadcasting division overseeing Foxtel and Sky News Australia (now News24).

US court documents recently revealed her central role in a contentious plan to amend a Murdoch family trust and give Lachlan sole control over the Fox and News Corp media empire, without interference from his siblings, in order to retain its highly conservative voice.

A Nevada judicial officer said in 2024 that the plan, known as Project Family Harmony, was an “attempt to stack the deck in Lachlan Murdoch’s favour after Rupert Murdoch’s passing so that his succession would be immutable”.

The probate commissioner, Edmund Gorman, said “the evidence shows that Project Family Harmony had its origins with Siobhan McKenna and Lachlan Murdoch in the middle of 2023, before Rupert Murdoch was brought into the plan later that year”.

The plan was ultimately unsuccessful, and the bitter legal battle involving Rupert Murdoch’s heirs only ended when a financial deal was reached in 2025.

McKenna was contacted for comment on Monday. She is due to start in the new role early in 2027.

‘Transformational force’

McKenna left News Corp late last year after two decades with the conglomerate, and shortly after News Corp sold its controlling stake in Foxtel.

The News Corp global chief executive Robert Thomson made it clear that McKenna’s departure was entirely her own choice.

“Her decision, as it is her decision, is essentially epochal as Siobhan has been a transformational force during her years with News Corp,” Thomson told staff in an email in October 2025.

“The word ‘visionary’ is often abused, but not in Siobhan’s case, as her ability to perceive the future from the haze-shrouded shapes on the horizon is nonpareil. She is irreplaceable.”

McKenna has kept a remarkably low public profile for such a prominent figure, and is rarely profiled, despite boasting a resume that includes board roles at Woolworths and the television network, Ten.

The 54-year-old has also served as a commissioner at the Australian Productivity Commission.

During a press conference announcing McKenna’s appointment, Anthony Albanese was asked whether he had sought assurances she wouldn’t “continue to lobby or deal with Mr Murdoch in advancing business interests”.

“Siobhan McKenna is a professional, and she will do an outstanding job representing Australia and the Australian government here in New York,” Albanese said.

“And the fact that she has experience in both the private sector and the public sector is a very good thing. I’m someone who supports people being appointed on merit. Siobhan McKenna has been appointed on merit.”