Brisbane Lions Deputy Chairman and leading sports law and marketing academic, Associate Professor Sarah Kelly, will become the next Queensland Chapter Lead of the Minerva Network after the departure of award-winning executive Cecile Wake from the role.
Ms Kelly will lead the Queensland Chapter as the State continues to grow as the nation’s sporting hub throughout COVID-19.
Cecile Wake has successfully led the Chapter, along with the support of Glenn Jackson, since its inception in September 2019 and has been influential in its early development. Ms Wake will continue as a Minerva Mentor and Mr Jackson will remain in his capacity as a Minerva Champion.
Ms Kelly has immense experience providing strategic mentorship to sports technology start-up companies and is known globally for her research and advocacy in the sports field. She joins a fantastic team of passionate and inspiring State Chapter Leads throughout the country, including Ann Sherry AO (NSW), Christina Matthews (WA), Peggy O’Neal AO (VIC) and Kate Palmer AM (VIC).
“We are delighted to welcome Sarah into the Minerva Network family and have great confidence that the Queensland Chapter will thrive under her leadership. Her extensive background in sports management and research will go a long way to benefiting the chapter and our Minerva Stars,” Minerva Network Chair and Co-founder, Christine McLoughlin said.
“I thank Cecile Wake for her tremendous commitment to establishing a great foundation for the Queensland Chapter and for her continued support and acknowledge the wonderful contribution of Glenn Jackson.”
Ms Kelly is looking forward to working with the Chapter’s Minerva Mentors to deliver an innovative program which will inspire and support the network’s talented women athletes to continue to develop into great leaders on and off the field.
“Female sportswomen play such a huge role in our community, in showcasing high performance, leadership and strength. The Minerva Network provides the scaffolding of empowerment for these women to fully realise their potential both during and post sporting career, and I’m very excited about the opportunity to get to lead the growth and measurable outcomes for the Network in Queensland alongside the national leaders of this ground-breaking program.”
News of the new chapter lead coincides with the fantastic news that the Queensland Government has pledged to fund a National Rugby Training Centre at Ballymore, which will become the home of the women’s national rugby team, the Wallaroos.
Queensland has quickly become the safe sporting hub for many women’s sports during COVID-19, including the Australian Women’s Cricket Team and the Suncorp Super Netball, whose Grand Final was hosted in Brisbane on the weekend.
The Minerva Network provides support to elite women athletes through mentoring, networking and workshops. Its mission is to support women athletes to flourish as role models and to achieve their own successes on and off the field.
Athletes from Queensland, and across Australia, are encouraged to join:
Email: contact@minervanetwork.com.au
Website: https://www.minervanetwork.com.au/contact
