SYDNEY - Mark Scott, the managing director of Australia's national broadcaster announced on Monday he will leave his position in Mid-2016.

In an email to staff, Scott said the board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will soon start the process to select his replacement.

Scott has led the publicly funded ABC through often contentious and controversial periods under his reign and has been seen as a polarizing figure.

The ABC encompasses television, Internet and radio operations across the nation and is a fixture in the national consciousness.

"I have made no secret of the fact that I think 10 years is a long time to run an organization, particularly in a sector as dynamic and fast-changing as media," he said in the email.

It is not known what Scott's future employment plans are.