In making the announcement, Basketball Australia Chair John Carey, said “The Board is delighted to have identified Matt to lead the organisation. He is an exceptional and experienced business executive and commercial leader, and his expertise will be paramount to execute the organisation’s strategic objectives to drive participation and commercial outcomes for the sport.”
Matt was most recently the Managing Director of Nine Melbourne, where he was responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Channel 9, The Age and 3AW. Matt has led business transformation, cultural and organisational redesign and is skilled at delivering strategic growth.
In addition to his extensive corporate experience, Matt has a lifelong connection to basketball and is deeply passionate about the sport. He has first-hand experience across every level of the game, from grassroots through to high performance. He played State Representative at the National Junior Championships and SEABL Basketball for 10 years and was most recently a Board Director with both the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix and Basketball Hawthorn. Matt also worked in marketing and sponsorship for the NBL in the late 90’s.
“Matt has a very strong sense of the possibilities for basketball in this country. He also has an extensive network of relationships with CEO’s and CMO’s across Australia. He has significant experience in digital and social media, data activation and content creation which will be invaluable for understanding how the modern consumer or participant wants to engage with Basketball.” Carey added.
Matt is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and praised the recent governance reforms led by Sport Australia and supported by Basketball Australia and its Member States.
“I am honoured and privileged to be appointed as CEO of Basketball Australia and I am excited to be charged with the responsibility for the growth of our Sport. I am looking forward to working with the BA team, and partnering with our State Member Associations, the NBL, WNBL, ABPA, FIBA and Sport Australia to deliver on our collective ambitions for the sport. We have a unique opportunity to drive increased participation, fan engagement and innovative commercialisation across all tiers of the sport, at a time where the Boomers and Opals are set to do us proud on the International stage.”
The BA Board partnered in the recruitment process with SRI, the international search and consulting firm. Jonathan Harris, Managing Partner ANZ, led the search and is delighted with the outcome; “The CEO of Basketball Australia is one of the most important Governing body roles in Sport in Australia and the level of interest and quality of candidates from both inside and outside of sport was outstanding.”
The Board of Basketball Australia would like to thank Carolyn Campbell who has stepped in as Interim CEO for the last three months at what has been a critical time for the sport. “Carolyn has been exceptional in supporting our new Board, and in managing the challenges of our preparations for Tokyo.” Carey said.
Matt will start with Basketball Australia on Monday 5th July.
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.