Hockey Australia has formally passed over control of the new Hockey One League to the new Company’s inaugural Board in another milestone for the new competition.
Five Directors, nominated by HA and the Member Associations under the agreed constitution, met for the first time last night to conduct the necessary formalities.
The newly appointed Board will have strategic oversight of the new league, which will see seven new men’s and women’s teams compete across the country for championship honours, as well as selection for the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos national teams in the lead-up to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
The new Directors are Carolyn Campbell (NSW), Alexandra El-Shamy (NSW), Martin Kelly (VIC), Colin Richardson (NSW) and Stephen McMullen (TAS).
Colin Richardson was elected by the Board as its inaugural Chair. Mr Richardson is the Managing Director of investment bank Moelis Australia and has previously held Managing Director roles with Rothschild, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank. He has a strong hockey background, having played since his university days and served on the Hockey NSW Board for 3 years before joining the HA Board in late 2018 where he remains as a Director.
“I am delighted to chair the newly elected Board of Hockey One League. H1 presents a unique opportunity to entertain new and existing hockey fans across our country, showcasing outstanding hockey and re-imagining what our game is about.
“We have great experience in the new Board across finance, marketing, governance and sports management, including competition establishment, and I look forward to working with my fellow Directors and the H1 management team to bring the new league to life,” said Mr Richardson.
Carolyn Campbell is currently the CEO of Netball NSW, where she has led the business on a journey to the Suncorp Super Netball competition, providing the opportunity to increase Netball NSW’s presence at national level with the formation of GIANTS Netball alongside the NSW Swifts. Ms Campbell is also the current Chair of the NSW Sports Federation and previous General Manager of the Women’s Hockey World Cup.
Alexandra El-Shamy has worked in sports business and administration for nearly twenty years. Her current role as General Manager of Commercial and Marketing at Paralympics Australia encompasses many aspects relevant to H1 from sponsorship, fundraising, licensing and broadcast to marketing.
Stephen McMullen is currently General Manager Venue Operations at Cricket Tasmania (Blundstone Arena) in Hobart, having previously held executive roles at Hockey Tasmania including as CEO, and non-executive roles including over 5 years as a Director. He is a passionate and life long player, and presently is a member of the Tasmanian Men’s Masters team. Mr McMullen brings valuable experience in sports business, including fundamental involvement in the establishment of the Hobart Hurricances BBL teams and ongoing dealings with both BBL and AFL in his current role.
Martin Kelly has worked in senior marketing roles for businesses here and in the UK, bringing more than 25 years’ experience to the board from industries as diverse as IT, insurance, education, banking and sport. He is the father of two hockey players and has had significant involvement in hockey through his role as Group Marketing Manager for Sportscover, a sports insurance underwriter who sponsored the Champions Trophy.
The daily operations of H1 are currently led by General Manager, Tony Dodemaide, former CEO of Cricket Victoria.
Media contact:
Tony Dodemaide
General Manager
Hockey One League
+61 448 811 563