New Hockey Australia Chief Commercial Officer appointed

Hockey Australia is thrilled to announce Jennifer North has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

North comes to Hockey Australia (HA) after 11 years as General Manager at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) where she was responsible for corporate partnerships, government funding, marketing, communications, membership, broadcast & content licencing and major events.

During her tenure at AACTA, she achieved outstanding results including increasing the commercial cash sponsorship portfolio by 310% securing partners including BMW/MINI, Samsung, The Star, Hyundai, Foxtel, Piper-Heidsieck, David Jones, Delta Airlines/Virgin Australia, Ernst & Young, CUB and Eureka International Group.

North also increased brand value across national and international media, increased engagement across all social media channels and rejuvenated the AACTA Awards Ceremony.

Prior to this position she held a marketing manager role with Bib Stilwell BMW & MINI Garage having graduated a Bachelor of Business Marketing / Bachelor of Business Management at Monash University.

“The Chief Commercial Officer is a crucial position within the organisation and on our Executive Leadership Team and we are thrilled to secure someone of Jen’s calibre and experience,” said HA CEO David Pryles.

“The role encompasses a range of areas, leading our commercial, communications, digital, marketing and events related operations.”

“Jen is passionate about sport, she has developed an outstanding skillset through her studies and professional career to date and we are really excited about the positive impact she will make to grow and promote hockey in Australia.”

Having spent some of her teenage years in Brussels, North played hockey in the Belgian capital and remembers going to watch the Hockeyroos in action there.

Now she will play an integral role in driving the growth and popularity of hockey and the continuation of the sport’s rising profile.

“I am thrilled to have been appointed into this role. I am confident I can bring a fresh perspective, creativity and contribute to Hockey Australia’s ongoing organisational success,” said North.

“During my 11 years as General Manager at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, I strategically expanded all areas of business operations with a central commercial objective to improve existing and generate new streams of revenue.

“I like to think of myself as a balanced analytical and creative thinker who has a strong understanding of business development and all marketing, communications and major event functions that are critical to generating strategies that are cross-departmental and deliver revenue and return on investment for stakeholders.”

“I am really excited about the possibilities and potential for hockey in Australia and the direction it is headed.”

North’s appointment follows a string of new personnel to key positions at HA, including Ross Sudano (President), David Pryles (CEO) and Bernard Savage (High Performance Director).

North officially commences in the full time position on 21 February 2022.