Netball Australia today announced the resignation of Deputy Chair John O’Sullivan from the Board.
Mr O’Sullivan, who has been a Netball Australia Director since May 2021 and was one of the original Commissioners of Suncorp Super Netball from 2019, said the demands of his job as the CEO of an ASX-listed tourism business meant that he could not dedicate the necessary time to the important Netball Australia role.
Mr O’Sullivan said his resignation would also provide an opportunity to continue the renewal of the Netball Australia Board.
“I’ve been a Director across Netball Australia and Suncorp Super Netball now for almost five years and I am a strong believer in Board renewal,’’ he said.
“Given the demands on my time with my role of a tourism business still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, I am unable to devote the time to Netball Australia that it requires. I also believe that my resignation provides Netball Australia the opportunity to continue the process of Board renewal."
Netball Australia Chair Wendy Archer thanked Mr O’Sullivan for his ongoing passion and commitment to netball.
“John’s 20 years of experience in the sports, entertainment, tourism, travel and media sectors have helped guide netball during a period of successful grassroots player growth and important steps towards financial sustainability,” Ms Archer said.
Ms Archer said the Board would determine a replacement for Mr O’Sullivan at Netball Australia’s Annual General Meeting in May. She said the Board welcomes potential candidates and had already been approached in recent months by people wanting to join the Board, and would also proactively seek out candidates.
“The Netball Australia Board embraces renewal as we continue to grow the sport’s participation past one million players and build on the outstanding on-court achievements. This is an exciting time for the game as we head towards our centenary and the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.’’
Netball Australia last month announced two new Board appointments who will bring valuable experience, skills, ideas and passion to the Board.
Respected political, business and legal sector leader Gabrielle Upton was the NSW Government’s first female Attorney General and served in five other senior portfolios, including Minister for Sport.
Ms Upton has broad governance experience in the legal and financial sectors, and was previously the Deputy Chancellor of the University of New South Wales.
The second Board appointment was experienced netball administrator Kirrily Zimmerman who is the former President of the Netball Victoria Board. She currently sits on the Netball Victoria Hall of Fame and Legends of the Game committee, and has demonstrated decades of commitment to growing the sport at a grassroots level and creating strong pathways to the elite level.
