The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) mourns the passing of Hugh Leonard, its longest-serving Secretary-General, who died in Brisbane, Australia, on 23 September 2026, aged 88.

Mr Leonard served as ABU Secretary-General from 1985 to 2002, leading the Union for 17 years through a period of profound transformation in broadcasting and communications across the Asia-Pacific and around the world.

Born in Greymouth, New Zealand, Mr Leonard’s association with the ABU spanned nearly three decades. He attended his first ABU General Assembly in 1974 as a representative of FBC Fiji, where he was then General Manager.

His broadcasting career in Fiji began in 1960 as a radio announcer and disc jockey. He later became Head of English Programmes before being appointed General Manager, a position he held for 12 years. His involvement with the ABU deepened during this period, and he was subsequently elected an ABU Vice-President before taking up the position of Secretary-General in Kuala Lumpur.

During his 17 years at the helm of the Union, Mr Leonard witnessed and helped guide the ABU community through extraordinary technological change, including the transition towards digital broadcasting and the emergence of what he described as “the age of TV anywhere and everywhere.”

Following his retirement as Secretary-General in 2002, Mr Leonard remained with the ABU for another year to undertake an important task: documenting the history of the Union. A gifted writer, he authored Four Decades of Unity, which became a definitive account of the ABU’s history and development.

In July 2003, he was elected an ABU Honorary Councillor in recognition of his distinguished service and contribution to the Union.

Mr Leonard returned to the ABU General Assembly for the final time in Macau in 2014, joining members to commemorate the Union’s 50th anniversary. Reflecting on the rapidly changing media landscape that year, he wrote:

“Broadcasting is increasingly becoming a two-way process between the broadcaster and the audience. The technology is there to make that happen and it is being used. And it seems every day someone is finding a new way to use it.”

After leaving the ABU, Mr Leonard settled in Brisbane to be closer to his family. He remained engaged with the wider communications community and, in 2009, served on the eminent jury panel that selected the recipient of the University of Queensland’s Communication and Social Change Award.

His 17 years of leadership, his commitment to broadcasting and his contribution to preserving the history of the ABU leave an enduring legacy within the Union and across the Asia-Pacific broadcasting community.

The ABU extends its deepest condolences to Mr Leonard’s family, friends, former colleagues and all those who had the privilege of working with him.