News Corp's Australia chief Kim Williams quits Mr Williams spent most of his career in Mr Murdoch's broadcasting operations. He opened Fox Studios in Australia, and later ran broadcasters Fox Sport and Foxtel, before taking the helm of News Corp in 2011. His trajectory echoes that of Tom Mockridge, another longstanding Murdoch loyalist, who was parachuted in from Sky Italia to run the much smaller News International newspaper business at the height of the phone hacking scandal. Mr Mockridge had expected his loyalty to be repaid with the chief executive role at Mr Murdoch's entire publishing business, but Mr Murdoch appointed former Wall Street Journal publisher, Robert Thomson, to the coveted position instead. Mr Mockridge quit soon after. On Thursday, Mr Thomson paid tribute to Mr Williams as "a powerful eloquent and effective advocate for media freedom and freedom of speech in Australia." Kim feels now is the right moment to leave the company, which he has served for two decades, following the successful implementation of the first stage of News Corp Australia's strategy to drive integration and improve efficiency, to invest in its editorial products and publishing system, and secure a path of growth in a multi-platform world. In an internal memo to staff, Mr Williams said he was leaving with "a heavy heart and a mixed bag of feelings." "It is certainly not a decision made lightly," he said. "I am confident that I leave the company in a strong position and with good foundations for the future," Mr Williams said in a separate statement.