LeadStory appoints Heidi Sayers as chief commercial officer

After raising more than $4 million to accelerate its international growth, News streaming platform LeadStory has appointed media veteran Heidi Sayers as chief commercial officer as founder and CEO Cam Price relocates to the US to spearhead the expansion.

Founded in 2021, LeadStory blends AI personalisation with verified news from global broadcasters including CBS, Reuters, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Channel 10 and France 24. The platform allows users to curate a personalised feed of local and global news, distributed across web, mobile, connected TV, and automotive platforms.

Sayers joins from The Australian Traffic Network, where she was NSW sales director and previously held senior commercial roles at Nine and News Corp. Known for building integrated content partnerships across news, sport and entertainment, she will lead LeadStory’s commercial and partnership strategy across Australia and emerging global markets.

“In a world of fake news, declining trust and fragmented media consumption, what drew me to LeadStory is its willingness to tackle these challenges head on,” Sayers said. “LeadStory’s news delivery for the AI age provides marketers with a compelling way to reach audiences in contextually relevant environments and tell their brand story at scale.”

Price said Sayers’ appointment marks a major milestone for the company’s next phase. “Her commercial leadership and deep relationships across the Australian marketing landscape will help us scale confidently while continuing to deliver real value for publishers, brands and audiences alike.”

LeadStory’s revenue model combines traditional video advertising with branded video storytelling, featuring on-location shoots with brands such as Tourism Fiji, Sydney Water, Engineers Australia, Goodstart Early Learning, Koh, and Juniper.

The company attracts more than 13 million monthly viewers across its platforms and operates two FAST TV channels - Breaking News and Your News, the latter billed as the world’s first personalised TV channel - available on Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and VIZIO in markets across Australia, New Zealand, North America, Southeast Asia, LATAM and Europe.

As part of its global expansion, LeadStory has also entered the in-flight and in-car entertainment sectors, with a news app pre-installed in new Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a partnership with Anuvu delivering content to airlines including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.

Sayers officially commences her role in November.