Brisbane Olympics: Cindy Hook named CEO of organising committee for 2032 Games

A US businesswoman with no background in sports administration has been given the job of delivering the Brisbane Olympics.

Cindy Hook has been named chief executive of the organising committee for the Brisbane Olympics. Picture: John Feder

A US-born businesswoman with no background in sports administration has been given the job of delivering the 2032 Brisbane Olympics on time, on budget and cost-neutral for the Australian taxpayer.

The appointment on Tuesday of former Deloitte Australia boss Cindy Hook as chief executive of the Organising Committee of the Games (OCOG) came as a surprise when some big names in sport were touted to be in the running.

But Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris said business nous, organisational skills and international corporate contacts were called for – and Ms Hook, 58, ticked all the boxes.

“Cindy’s senior executive experience in Australia, combined with her knowledge, expertise and connections in international markets, including the Asia Pacific, Singapore and US, make her an exceptional fit for the operational and commercial requirements of the Brisbane 2032 CEO role,” the former Dow Chemical chairman said.

“We conducted a global search to ensure we had the best candidate in the mix, and the mix was strong. I’m so pleased that we’ve found someone with a deep affinity for Australia, while also understanding what is required to turn Brisbane 2032 into a household name across the world.

“We needed an individual that knows what it takes to run a multibillion-dollar business on time and on budget, as well as how to engage the community, industry and the corporate sector in what is, effectively, the biggest event-based project this nation will see in a decade.”

Ms Hook told The Australian that she hoped her four-year term would be extended so she could steer the work at OCOG to completion.

Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris. Picture: Patrick Woods

“I’d love to see the Games through to fruition … I’m certainly here for as long as the board asks me to be,” she said.

“I think this role is going to change significantly over time. Today, I’ll be the sixth employee, so it’s really like a start-up.”

Ms Hook’s appointment, 17 months after Brisbane was awarded the Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will allay concern that planning was lagging with no manager at the helm of the key planning body.

Among those tipped for the job was outgoing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, former Queensland sports minister and ARL commissioner Kate Jones, former NRL CEO and Australian Cricketers’ Association boss Todd Greenberg and swimming great-turned-property developer Mark Stockwell. Mr Liveris would not be drawn on who made the shortlist with Ms Hook.

Asked what her priority would be when she started in February, she said: “I think the first phase of this when I get into the door is to establish the entity and build the team and set our strategic priorities and our vision and set up the frameworks that will serve us well for the next 10 years to engage.”

A digital depiction of how the Gabba will be transformed for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

Her skills will be put to an early test if the standoff between the Queensland government and Canberra persists over the Games’ funding, after ­Anthony Albanese refused to commit to the 50-50 split agreed by former prime minister Scott Morrison.

Mr Liveris said the funding commitment and the “way it was given” was a reputational issue with the IOC. “And I think the state government can’t be the sole carrier,” he told The Australian.

On top of this, the running of the event must come in cost-neutral in line with new protocols adopted by the Olympics movement to make the Games more affordable for host cities or ­regions, such as southeast Queensland, which will pick up some of the load from Brisbane.

Raised in California and a graduate of Miami University, Ms Hook was the first woman to head a big-four financial services firm in Australia, serving as ­Deloitte CEO for three years to 2018. She went on to become its inaugural Asia-Pacific boss and will be only the second female CEO of an Olympics organising committee, behind Kathy Carter at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Brisbane lights up after the IOC announcement of the 2032 Olympics host in July 2021. Picture: Richard Walker

She had been eyeing a quieter life with her husband and adult sons in the US when the Brisbane job came up. “I could not pass up the opportunity to be part of the event that has such potential to deliver a meaningful legacy for Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and the Olympics and Paralympics globally,” Ms Hook said.