Jennifer Watt has been appointed CEO of North Melbourne Football Club, becoming the second woman to hold the CEO position at an AFL club.
North Melbourne will now have two women in key leadership positions, with Watt joining club president, Dr Sonja Hood, at the helm.
Watt is the first woman to be appointed CEO of an AFL club since Tracey Gaudry, who had a short, five-month stint in the position at Hawthorn in 2017.
Her appointment follows a thorough recruitment process, where she was picked over Geelong football manager Simon Lloyd for the role.
Watt has 20 years’ experience in football and sports management and administration across a range of high profile organisations. She has 14 years under her belt as an executive at the Melbourne Football Club and 5 years as general manager of commercial operations at the Melbourne Cricket Club.
“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,” Dr Sonja 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.”
Watt was awarded the prestigious Graeme Samuel Scholarship in 2016, recognised for her work as a leading executive in the AFL industry.
In a letter to club members, Hood said Watt’s appointment marks the end of a significant period of change for North Melbourne with various new appointments in administration and coaching ranks.
“As we commence the Clarkson era and push towards our fifth flag for our men and first flag for our women, embark on the next phase of development at Arden St, find a long-term commercial alternative to Tasmania, and continue to work towards financial security, it was critical to choose the right CEO – a club CEO, not a football CEO or a commercial CEO,” Hood said.
“Someone who can work across the whole organisation to bring the notion of ‘one club’ to life. And with Jennifer, we are absolutely confident we have found that person.”
Watt is due to start as CEO in January, 2023.