In this episode of Executive with a Cause, host Tammy Ven Dange chats with Olivia Thornton, CEO of Cricket ACT.
We hear from one of the few female CEOs of a major sporting body in the Australian Capital Territory. Olivia shares with us her insights into guiding a sport towards the future whilst addressing its past.
Olivia explains her transition from high-performance athlete to CEO and the similarities she’s found in building successful teams. She explains the importance of recognising strengths and weaknesses and complementing these skill sets.
As a state body, we learn how Cricket ACT engages multiple stakeholders and partners to achieve its objectives, and the benefits of accessing shared services with other state bodies, and the resources of its governing body, Cricket Australia.
Like many organisations, though, Cricket ACT has recognised the relevance of diversifying its revenue streams, and Olivia outlines how she has engaged in partnerships to support this.
We also learn of the challenges of inheriting the financial implications of the National Redress Scheme and how the organisation has implemented policies to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for its community. Finally, we learn how cricket stays relevant by offering multiple programs and formats to meet changing societal tastes and how organisations need to be resourceful and nimble to manage these changes.
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IT in Plain English
In this week’s segment, Tammy answers the question, “Why are ransomware attacks increasing?”
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Topics from this episode:
- 0.00 | Introduction
- 01.57 | The role of Cricket ACT
- 05.14 | Increasing female participation
- 10.03 | Transition from an athlete to CEO
- 14.34 | Staff and volunteers
- 17.40 | Managing volunteers
- 22.00 | Resourcing for an evolving sport
- 24.49 | Funding and partnerships
- 30.01 | Support from Cricket Australia
- 31.17 | Executive Board
- 36.21 | National Redress Scheme
- 40.00 | Strategic Plan
- 45.18 | IT in Plain English
Quotes from Olivia Thornton in this episode:
“We know that it’s really important that we continue to bring all sorts of cricket to Canberra and to this region because there is a direct correlation to bringing elite content to town and inspiring that next generation. And we had an opportunity a few years ago with ACT Government investment to actually bring World Cup women’s games here. And off the back of that investment and that exposure here, we’ve had a year-on-year growth of over 200%. So, whilst other things have come into play there, there is a direct correlation between having an elite presence in town and inspiring that next generation, which is ultimately what we’re here to do.”
“We’re really trying to encourage more women and young girls to get involved in our game, and I think it’s really important that we continue to have a presence whether it’s from female administrators like myself or female coaches or just gender neutralising what we are doing to ensure our game is a game for all, regardless of your gender or your culture or wherever you you come from. So that’s a really important strategic priority for us and for Australian cricket, and anything we can do to ladder up to that, I think, is really important.”
“I think the team environment that cricket has provided me has certainly served me well with what I’m doing at the moment. And it’s been a nice way to reconnect with my sport. I have spent a bit of time outside of cricket as well, which was a deliberate play. So, I taught for a number of years. And I think again, the correlation between teaching and education and some of the other experiences I’ve had in cricket in terms of coaching and things like that, there is a connection and, and people always being at the centre of what I do, whether it’s in the classroom on the cricket field as a player myself, or now as leader of our organisation.”
“I think being really clear in terms of what your strengths are, but having the ability and the awareness to surround yourself with people that have skill sets that you don’t have, necessarily, but that you can work together for that greater good. I think that has again served me well, not only in this role but in other opportunities that I’ve had where I’ve known what I can do and what I can bring to the party, and then gaps and filling those gaps. Well, again, it’s on a cricket field or in the office now.”
“That notion of giving back, which is certainly a personal driver for me, the game has given me so much. I feel really honoured that I’ve got the opportunity to actually contribute in the way that I’m doing now. And I think I can probably speak for my colleagues as well that there’s certainly that element of being able to certainly do something we love that gets us out of bed. It is purpose driven and has a wonderful cricket community.”
“We’ve got a cast of volunteers. Our sport does not exist without our volunteers. I’ll say this quite often, they are genuinely the lifeblood of our game because, without them, we certainly wouldn’t exist. And we wouldn’t be able to do what we want to do in terms of continuing the growth of our game and sustainably, all those things I mentioned at the top without our thousands of volunteers.”
“And we’ve had to change as a sport because society is changing because there are some pockets that don’t want to sit there all day. So what are we doing as a sport to ensure our game is a sport for all, and we’ve tried different formats and different styles, social cricket, one-hour cricket, pink ball, white ball, red ball, you know. So again, we’ve had to, as a sport, evolve because society has shifted, so we need to shift with it.”
“It is getting more and more crowded. But again, I also see this as an opportunity that some formats and games potentially can go to regional areas that, then, allows our regional communities to potentially connect with a game where they might not have necessarily had the opportunity to do so as well. So, there’s always silver linings with those sorts of things.”
“We’ve had 100% continuity with our partners as well, which is a good sign because, again, they want to partner with us, and we want to partner with them. And I’m deliberately using the word partner, as opposed to sponsor, because for me, it’s really important that there’s a two-way relationship. It’s not what we can get? It’s actually how we can work together for shared outcomes as well.”
“How important it is to have one female representation around boards. But equally, the more diversity of thought, it’s just so rich, and we still got some work to do on that front. We’ve recently appointed our first First Nations director, but we’re still very white, we’re still very middle-aged, but the board is aware of it. And sometimes, that takes a little while to get that balance right. But we’re certainly there from a gender perspective.”
Links & Resources
Other Episodes Mentioned in this Show
- Watch our interview with Simone Clarke of UN Women Australia
Credits
Thanks to the entire team at Lonsdale St. Studio. Thanks also to our Digital Content Creator, Laura Kleinrahm.
Tammy Ven Dange is a former charity CEO, Not for Profit Board Member and IT Executive. Today she helps NFPs with strategic IT decisions with her business, Roundbox Consulting.
