Eric Beecher is Chair of two influential media groups – Private Media, which publishes Crikey, The Mandarin and Smart Company, and Solstice Media, which publishes The New Daily and InDaily.

He started in newspapers as a journalist on The Age newspaper in Melbourne and later worked at The Sunday Times and The Observer in London and The Washington Post in the US. In 1984, at age 33, he became the youngest- ever editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and in 1987 was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper group.

In 1990, Eric became a founder, CEO and major shareholder in The Text Media Group, a public company that produced newspapers, magazines and books. Text Media was acquired by Fairfax Media in 2003 and Eric formed Private Media Partners, which acquired crikey.com.au in 2005.  Since then he has been a founding shareholder and chairman of Eureka Report and Business Spectator.

Eric was Chair of The Wheeler Centre from 2008 until 2017.  In 2000, he delivered the annual Andrew Olle Media Lecture and in 2007 was awarded the Walkley Award for Journalistic Leadership.