By Peter Ryan
North Melbourne have become the second AFL club to appoint a female CEO, with Melbourne Cricket Club executive Jennifer Watt to lead the Kangaroos into a new era.
Watt is the first female CEO since the short-lived tenure of Tracey Gaudry at Hawthorn in 2017. Gaudry spent just five months as CEO of the Hawks.
Jennifer Watt is North Melbourne’s CEO.
Watt is well-known in football circles, having worked at Melbourne for 14 years including time under former Demons CEO Peter Jackson, who has been assisting the Kangaroos in their search for a replacement for Ben Amarfio. She was awarded the AFL’s prestigious Graeme Samuel Scholarship in 2016.
Watt then became the commercial operations and partnerships manager at the MCC in 2017, working closely with Stuart Fox, who was the CEO at Hawthorn during the club’s premiership years.
Watt also worked at Flying Start Management before joining the Demons.
Watt beat highly regarded Geelong football manager Simon Lloyd to the role after the Kangaroos whittled the search down to two.
North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood said the club was delighted to welcome Watt to Arden St.
“Jen is an impressive individual. A person of high calibre and driven by strong values, Jen continued to impress throughout the recruitment process, and we are thrilled to announce her as our club’s next CEO,” Hood said.
“There is a natural alignment of values between both parties. Jen’s collaborative leadership style and focus on developing authentic relationships with her people really stood out to us as a club.
“Her extensive experience at both an AFL club and venue has provided Jen with a deep understanding and knowledge of the complexities of the AFL industry.”
Watt said she was excited to lead the club forward.
“I’m thrilled to be joining North Melbourne as CEO. It’s an honour to be able to lead the club into the future,” Watt said.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know the people of North Melbourne. The club is filled with promise, there is so much to be excited about.”
Watt will officially begin on January 23, 2023.
Her appointment comes as multiple Collingwood insiders and industry sources expect Craig Kelly, the head of powerful athlete management agency and sports marketing company TLA, to become Collingwood CEO in the new year.
Essendon and the AFL are also searching for new CEOs.
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