Lisa Alexander says the Netball Australia board must be held to account before hiring a new CEO

Netball Australia’s board must be held accountable to their members for the sport’s recent dramas before they’re entrusted with hiring the game’s next CEO, says former Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander.

Former Diamonds netball coach Lisa Alexander says she doesn’t have confidence in Netball Australia’s board to find a new CEO. Picture: Wayne Taylor.

“Same old, Same old …”

So, what has been happening at Netball HQ in Fitzroy?

It appears to be very quiet and that suits the current Board of Netball Australia just fine.

After the bitter pay dispute with players last year, and Kelly Ryan’s resignation as CEO, netball needs a reset and some stability.

I am full of admiration that the players were fighting for a bigger ideal than just their own pay, it was about leaving the sport in a better place than where they found it, including their want to be respected.

They want to be highly valued and listened to as full partners in this sport, to recognise the legacy built by the players of the past and build the future success of the sport.

They should never be treated like chattels or with the mindset of “be good girls and keep quiet”, this is no longer tolerated in modern organisations.

The Thunderbirds and Swifts embrace as their match is abandoned due to a power issue during the round two Super Netball match at Netball SA Stadium on March 25, 2023. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images.

They are, and always will be, crucial and dedicated stakeholders in the sport, let alone accessing the incredible levels of intelligence, diligence, leadership capability and creativity of this group of fine women.

This was a pivotal moment when the players had to stand up and be counted. They did.

However, at this moment in time, the job has not been completed.

As the Diamonds would say before securing the 2023 Netball World Cup this is “Unfinished Business”.

The new CEO role has recently been advertised on all formats and across the globe. Utilising a consultancy firm, the current NA Board and that firm have created a new set of parameters for this new CEO.

I have read the advertisement, and I was amazed by the list of “to do’s”.

The new CEO must be a leader who knows the sport of netball, may have a sporting background, commercial acumen and financial management, stakeholder management and then a curious list of “behaviours” which looks like it has been hurriedly added.

Does this count out a person who doesn’t know netball and could hold a mirror up to the organisation?

The list of behaviours from the Netball Australia CEO job advert. Picture: Supplied.

My question is, why the big rush? 

I would have expected this position to be advertised after the AGM at least, with new Board members being allowed to input their views. The new Board could create the fresh slate upon which they would work with the new CEO.

If time is of the essence, then the AGM should have been brought forward from May to February/March when it has traditionally been held in the past.

The Board and Chair Wendy Archer should be held accountable at the AGM and to NA’s major stakeholders before they are entrusted with selecting the new leader of the game.

Due to the very expedient appointment of Stacey West to the interim CEO position, if lessons had been learned, this timeline should have been followed with a “new” NA Board running the selection process?

And why was the current interim CEO appointed to the top job in the short term? Transparency is a key element that again seems to be just brushed over.

Stacey West was, until just recently, the Executive General Manager of Performance, directly responsible for overseeing the Diamonds program when the Hancock sponsorship debacle and then non-selection of Diamonds World Cup squad fiasco transpired.

Due to the major issues of discontent between players and administration, it’s important any lingering issues of trust are solved before key appointments, including interim ones, are made.

This is what Boards are meant to be across, and so you will forgive me if I don’t have great confidence in the current Board to be able to conduct this selection process for a new CEO.

That is what concerns me, and many others who love our sport.

Kelly Ryan may have left, but we have long memories, and the Board and Chair Wendy Archer, must also accept responsibility for the current and past issues.

Players have been crucial in pushing Netball Australia towards more player funding. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images.

Issues like the testy relationship with the Australian Sports Commission which cost the sport $18m in funding. 

Not being up to the task of securing the extra funding from the ASC is unforgivable.

Then there are the whispers of discontent with commercial partners, media outlets, connections with grassroots netball, First Nations relationships and the employees of NA.

The quiet departure of Marina Go from the Board just three days after Kelly Ryan left is further reason for us to be cynical.

The very recent announcements of Kirrily Zimmerman and Gabrielle Upton to the NA Board, which on the surface seem very good appointments based on their skill sets, did not cause a social media meltdown.

But was Diamonds Hall of Famer Liz Ellis contacted regarding her interest in one of those vacancies at Board level? 

Was she encouraged to apply? If not, why not?

The current playing group, and many of us looking on, including Joyce Brown, a Legend of Netball, who wrote an intelligent email demanding change at the top of NA, have long memories, and know what went on in these times of crises, all the blame cannot be laid just at the feet of the previous CEO.

It is time for change, the current NA Board, cannot, in all good conscience, oversee this selection of the new CEO.

The quote attributed to Einstein comes to mind: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.

Netball Australia, and the SSN, should aspire to the level of the EPL in England.

It will require visionary leadership from the new CEO.

The new CEO will have to be a change agent, along with having a solid plan to quickly look “under the hood” of the entire organisation and ensure its prosperity and connection with its stakeholders.

Not an easy task, but for someone with the passion and energy and discipline to keep at it with a new, fresh, and invigorated NA Board, the world could be Netball’s oyster.

This may require some bruised egos, and the practice of trying to be friends with everyone will just not cut it.

Strong and decisive leadership will be required to navigate a very different sporting landscape to three years ago.

We don’t want “same old, same old”.

Originally published as Lisa Alexander says the Netball Australia board must be held to account before hiring a new CEO