Rupert Murdoch: The founder, chairman, and chief executive of News Corporation, is arguably the world’s best known media entrepreneur. Starting with a small clutch of assets inherited on his father’s death in 1952, Murdoch’s empire now takes in a wide range of newspaper, music, television and film interests throughout North America, Europe and Asia. These include everything from The Wall Street Journal and The (London) Times to 20th Century Fox, Harper Collins, BSKYB and Star TV.

David Yelland, a partner in Brunswick’s London office, a former editor of The Sun newspaper in the UK and deputy editor of The New York Post, met Murdoch in his office at news corporation in midtown Manhattan in December 2008.

A low table divides two pale sofas, which face each other as you enter the large, airy and bright office. We sit facing each other across a table laden with books. A recent history of The Times. A monograph of Australian contemporary art. Over to the right is Rupert’s large desk. Behind it is a large framed photograph of Keith Murdoch, his father, a journalist and editor who covered the First World War disaster at Gallipoli for The Times of London (his son subsequently part-funded a 1981 movie about the event). On the desk is a copy of The Times, which Rupert has owned since 1981.

Other family portraits jostle on the shelf above the picture of his father, principally one of Rupert, his wife Wendi and his two younger children: Grace and Chloe. Beyond the desk at the far end of the office is an entire wall made up of a large-and-backlit green-on-blue map of the world, black dots showing the major News Corp centres. To the right are six large television screens displaying Fox News Channel, the Fox Financial Channel, New York’s Channel 5 and Channel 9 (all of which he owns) as well as two other channels. Adjacent to the televisions – and opposite the desk – is a wall of glass which looks out onto the corner of 49th Street and Sixth Avenue. The muted traffic horns and sirens mark this out as the very centre of New York City. 

As you enter the office there are three roomy work stations each occupied by personal assistants, led by the ageless Dot Wyndoe, Rupert’s personal assistant and gatekeeper for the last 46 years.