Lachlan Murdoch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lachlan Murdoch
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Murdoch in 2013
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| Born |
Lachlan Keith Murdoch
8 September 1971 London, England
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| Citizenship |
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| Education | Princeton University (BA) |
| Occupation | Executive chairman, Nova Entertainment Executive chairman and CEO, Fox Corporation Executive chairman, News Corp |
| Years active | 1994−present |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah O'Hare
(m. 1999) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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| Family | Murdoch family |
Lachlan Keith Murdoch, born on September 8, 1971, is a businessman from Australia, the UK, and the US. He is the son of famous media leader Rupert Murdoch. Lachlan leads several big media companies, including Nova Entertainment, News Corp, and Fox Corporation. In 2025, his wealth was estimated to be around $3.21 billion Australian dollars.
As of December 2024, the Murdoch family is involved in a court case in the US. Lachlan's siblings, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence, are challenging their father's plan. This plan would make sure Lachlan keeps control of News Corp and Fox Corp.
Contents
Early Life and School
Lachlan Murdoch was born on September 8, 1971, in London, England. He is the oldest son of Rupert Murdoch, a powerful media leader, and his second wife, Anna Maria dePeyster. Lachlan grew up in New York City, where his father owned the New York Post newspaper. His family moved there when he was three years old.
He went to school in different places, including Aspen, Colorado, and Manhattan, New York City. He also attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
In 1989, he took a year off before college. During this time, he worked a simple job for his family's business, the Daily Mirror, in Sydney, Australia. His father was in the city for business at the time.
In 1994, Lachlan graduated from Princeton University with a degree in philosophy. His main project in his final year was about German philosophy.
Career in Media
Working at News Corp (1995–2005)
When Lachlan was 22 or 23, he became the general manager of Queensland Newspapers. This company publishes the Courier-Mail in Brisbane, Australia. Around this time, he became friends with James Packer, who was also the son of a media leader.
Lachlan later became the publisher of The Australian, Australia's first national newspaper. In 1995, he was made deputy CEO of News Limited in Australia. The next year, in 1996, he joined the board of News Corporation.
After getting married in 1999, he was promoted in 2000. He became the deputy chief operating officer for News Corp's global print businesses. Before this, he had been an executive director of News Corp since 1996.
Lachlan was very interested in Australian rugby league. In 1995, he was at the first meeting for the Super League. He and John Ribot signed players for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Lachlan was also the top ticket holder for the Brisbane Broncos team. This business venture did not make money.
His friend, Australian businessman James Packer, encouraged Lachlan to invest in One.Tel. This was a new telecommunications company. Lachlan was criticized a lot because News Corporation invested hundreds of millions of dollars in One.Tel in the late 1990s.
In April 2014, Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer agreed to a $40 million Australian dollar settlement. This was because One.Tel failed. The court approved this agreement on April 17, 2014.
Lachlan also led an early investment of $10.75 million in REA Group. He strongly supported keeping this investment, even when others wanted to sell it. This company later became Australia's top online real estate advertising business, known as Realestate.com.au. In 2014, it was worth over $3.6 billion to News Corp.
In 2001, Lachlan earned a salary of $2.59 million Australian dollars. While at News Corp, he oversaw HarperCollins and the company's businesses in Australia, including REA. He also served on the board of Foxtel and was chairman of Fox Television stations. He was also the publisher of the New York Post. Under his leadership, the New York Post's circulation grew by more than 40 percent.
In July 2005, Lachlan, then 33, suddenly left his job at News Corp. This happened after a disagreement with Roger Ailes, who was the head of Fox News at the time. His father had sided with Ailes. Lachlan then moved back to Australia with his wife and son. At that time, he was the third most powerful executive in the company.
Private Investments (2005–2014)
After leaving News Corp, Lachlan started his own Australian investment company called Illyria Pty Ltd in 2005. He made many different investments. These included parts of the Indian Premier League cricket team Rajasthan Royals, an online DVD rental company called Quickflix, and a toy marketing company called Funtastic.
In November 2009, Illyria bought 50% of a group of radio stations called DMG Radio. This company was renamed Nova Entertainment, and Lachlan became its chairman. In September 2012, Illyria bought the rest of the shares it did not own. Within a few years, NOVA Entertainment became the top network of FM radio stations in Australia.
In 2010, James Packer bought an 18% share in Network Ten, a TV company. He quickly sold half of it to Lachlan Murdoch. Both Packer and Murdoch joined the Ten board. In February 2011, Lachlan was made acting CEO of Ten Network Holdings. This happened after the company's board ended the contract of the previous CEO. The next month, Packer unexpectedly left the board.
In February 2012, the Ten board made Lachlan the non-executive chairman of Ten Network Holdings. Ten was already having some money problems before Lachlan became CEO. By late 2012, Illyria had lost $110 million of the $150 million it had invested since 2010. The company's share price had dropped by about 80%, and its profits had fallen by more than half.
To save money, Ten cut 160 jobs. The problems were mainly due to less money from advertising and changes within the network. On June 14, 2017, Ten went into a special process called voluntary administration. This happened after Lachlan and another shareholder, Bruce Gordon, decided not to give the company more credit.
Two offers were made to buy Ten. One was from Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon, and the other was from CBS Corporation. CBS was Ten's biggest creditor. The CBS offer was chosen by both the administrators and the creditors. CBS's successful bid meant Lachlan lost all the money he had invested in the network.
Back to News Corp (2014)
In March 2014, Lachlan Murdoch was appointed as co-chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox. These two companies were formed in June 2013 from the older News Corp. This move was seen as a plan for who would lead the media empire in the future.
Lachlan stepped down as chairman and director of Ten Network Holdings at this time.
In June 2015, he was named the executive chairman of 21st Century Fox.
After Disney bought 21st Century Fox in March 2019, Lachlan was named the chairman and CEO of the Fox Corporation. His father also named him as the person who would take over his business interests. His father still hoped to "continue an active role in the company." Former president Donald Trump met Lachlan in 2019.
In 2022, Lachlan and his father wanted to combine News Corp and Fox Corp. However, his brother James and other major shareholders did not agree. Because of this, the plan was stopped the following year.
Taking Over from His Father (2023)
In September 2023, when he was 52 years old, Rupert Murdoch retired. Lachlan Murdoch then took over leadership of his father's group. He became the chairman of both Fox Corp and News Corp. In 2023, The Australian Financial Review listed Lachlan Murdoch as the 33rd wealthiest person in Australia. His wealth was estimated at $3.35 billion Australian dollars (about $2.1 billion US dollars).
In July 2024, Lachlan Murdoch gave an interview to Paul Kelly of The Australian newspaper. He said that he believes The Australian newspaper is very important for the country's discussions. He feels that his role is essential in Australia, Britain, and the United States. He sees this as his main mission as a leader and a company responsibility.
As of September 2024, Lachlan Murdoch is the executive chair and CEO of Fox Corporation. He is also the chair of News Corp and the executive chairman of Nova Entertainment, an Australian company.
Other Activities
In 2002, Lachlan Murdoch gave the Andrew Olle Media Lecture. This is a special speech about media.
Murdoch is one of the founding supporters of an organization called "Advance." This group used to be known as the Young Australian Professionals in America. They held a special dinner in November 2005.
Personal Life
Lachlan has two full siblings, Elisabeth and James Murdoch. He also has an older half-sister, Prudence, and two younger half-sisters, Grace and Chloe, from his father's third marriage. Over the years, there have been reports of disagreements between Lachlan and his brother James.
Lachlan holds Australian citizenship and often says he sees himself as Australian. He considers Australia his home. Because he was born in the UK before 1983, he is likely also a British citizen. He has lived and worked in the US for a long time and has an American accent. However, he said in a 2001 interview that he considers himself Australian.
Murdoch married Sarah O'Hare, a British-born Australian model and actress, in 1999. They have two sons and one daughter.
The Murdochs used to own a house called "Berthong" in Elizabeth Bay, Sydney. They sold it to Russell Crowe in 2003. In November 2009, Lachlan bought "Le Manoir," a large mansion in Bellevue Hill, for $23 million. Two years later, he bought a property next to it.
In 2017, Lachlan and his wife paid $29 million US dollars for a large horse property in Aspen, Colorado. It has a 1,350 square meter home with six bedrooms. In 2019, they bought the Chartwell Estate in Los Angeles for about $150 million US dollars.
As of 2023, Lachlan Murdoch owns homes in Sydney, Aspen, and Los Angeles. His wife and children have lived in Sydney since 2021. Lachlan divides his time between Sydney, Los Angeles (where Fox Corp. is based), and New York City (where News Corp is based). He speaks with an American accent but considers Australia his home.
Political Views
People have thought that Lachlan is more conservative than his siblings. He has supported his father's business decisions.
In 2018, Lachlan said his political views were "conservative economically and more liberal on social policy."
In February 2023, Lachlan and his wife Sarah Murdoch gave A$1 million to Qtopia, a museum in Sydney that celebrates the queer community.
Recognition and in the Media
In June 2005, Lachlan Murdoch received the "media person of the year" award at an event in Cannes.
In September 2024, ABC Television (Australia) showed a three-part documentary called "Making Lachlan Murdoch." Lachlan did not take part in making it. The documentary was made by journalist Paddy Manning and introduced by Leigh Sales. It includes an interview with Lachlan from 2001 and features his friend James Packer. The documentary lets the people featured speak in their own voices.
The first episode, "Blood," focuses on his father, Rupert, and grandfather Sir Keith Murdoch. The second episode is called "Money." The series is also available on YouTube.
Images for kids
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Murdoch in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Lachlan Murdoch para niños
