Michelle Guthrie

Michelle Guthrie
Born	1965 Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, corporate leader
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	Managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2016–2018)

Michelle Guthrie (born 1965) is an Australian lawyer and corporate leader.

Originating from Sydney, Guthrie completed her education at Brigidine College Randwick and Kambala Girls' School before pursuing degrees in arts and law at the University of Sydney. She launched her professional journey as a media and technology attorney with Allen, Allen & Hemsley in both Sydney and Singapore. Subsequently, she worked as corporate counsel for News International based in London. Over a span of thirteen years at News Corporation, Guthrie held several key positions, including director of legal and business development at Foxtel in Australia and CEO of STAR TV in Hong Kong. In 2007, she was appointed managing director at Providence Equity Partners in Hong Kong. Joining Google in 2011, Guthrie took charge as managing director of partner business solutions and later oversaw agency relations across the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore.

In December 2015, Guthrie was named managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), succeeding Mark Scott in April 2016. She officially assumed the position on 2 May 2016. Throughout her leadership at ABC, she encountered scrutiny concerning her grasp of public broadcasting and journalism.

On 24 September 2018, ABC Chair Justin Milne announced that Guthrie had been dismissed after the board determined that her continuation was not aligned with the organisation’s best interests. Following this, Guthrie pursued legal proceedings alleging unfair dismissal, with representation by Johnson Winter Slattery. The dispute was resolved in March 2019 when Guthrie accepted $730,000 to withdraw the claim.

Guthrie is married to Darren Farr, a chef and restaurateur who runs The LoKal restaurant in Singapore. Together, they have two daughters.