AFL Barwon Commission

A widely experienced, highly capable and motivated executive leader with demonstrated capabilities in strategic planning, transformational leadership, stakeholder engagement and project management.

Michelle has a passion for sport and has worked in various paid and voluntary roles across her career.

She worked at Netball Victoria for six years including the role of General Manager, High Performance and Commercial and was part of the leadership team for the Australian Masters Games held in Geelong in 2013. Michelle has also worked with the Department of Justice and Community Safety in contract management and stakeholder engagement roles.

Involved in local netball as a player and committee member at Bell Park Sport & Recreation Club from 2001 to 2016, Michelle held various roles including President of the netball section and was the first ever female President of a GFNL club when she appointed to the role as football President in 2012.

Michelle has been recently appointed as the General Manager, Read the Play, a mental health and literacy program designed for juniors at sporting clubs to break down the stigma associated with mental illness.

An experienced Senior Executive with an extensive background in strategy, technology, transforming, motivating and leading teams in complex technical, business and stakeholder environments.

Growing up in Northern Country Victoria, Ashley moved to Geelong studying IT Systems Engineering before heading to Melbourne to further his career with Telstra and working across many industries including Aviation and Banking.

Ashley is a strategic thinker and enjoys the responsibility of being part of an Executive Leadership Team and a Board. He is a keen advocate for organisations with a strong purpose for improving community outcomes.

Asley is currently the Executive Director, Strategic Delivery at WorkSafe Victoria.

David has been part of the AFL Barwon Commission for the past five years and is currently the Chairperson for the Operations Committee. David currently works at the NAB and has done so for 34 years, primarily within the Business Banking area. David has held senior roles including Head of Business Banking at NAB Business in Geelong.

He has extensive experience in financial management, strategic planning, staff management and building customer relationships.

His sporting roles include 13 seasons playing senior football, including five senior premierships. He spent 16 years on the football committee at North Shore FC, seven years as treasurer and six as president. David is a North Shore Life Member and Hall of Fame inductee, as well as being a life member of the Geelong Football League.

David has also had twenty years of senior cricket at North Geelong Cricket Club. He was on the committee for five years, and held the position of junior cricket president for five years.. He is also a life member of the club.

Nicola spent the majority of her childhood in Perth where she completed a degree in Asian studies, with a double major in Marketing and Japanese.

She has spent time working in the energy, water and mining sectors and in trade & investment with those roles seeing her work in Perth, London, Port Hedland, Melbourne and now Geelong.

Nicola works for WorkSafe Victoria, as the acting Director for Research.  She started out as Manager, Stakeholder Engagement & Communications and played a large part in the project team for integration of WorkSafe to Geelong and was heavily involved in all community partnerships.  She then spent time in External Affairs, in Legislations, Policy and Information Services and as the Manager, Strategic Health Programs.

She has recenetly competed the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Course.

She has been involved in the judging for the Give Where You Live grants, Pako Festa and enters her third year as a Geelong Business Excellence Awards judge.

She is a mentor for the female networking group in Geelong, Business in Heels and also a mentor for the Women at WorkSafe mentoring program.

She loves to be active and takes her love of sport to the boardroom as a commissioner for AFL Barwon.  Outside of working life, Nicola enjoys spending time with her family, cycling, yoga and travelling!

An accountant in public practice with over 35 years’ experience in taxation, small business, management consulting and strategic planning, audit and risk analysis, treasury management and budgeting, and corporate governance.

A continuous involvement of over 22 years in community sports administration (football and cricket) including roles as coach and committee member of St. Bernard’s Old Collegians Football and Cricket Clubs, former President and life member of St. Bernard’s OC Football Club.

More recently, Mick has spent the last 12 years with the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) including roles of Representative Team Manager, Board Ambassador, Director of Representative Football, Board Member, Treasurer and President

An experienced senior people and culture professional, with over 25 years leading People, Culture and Safety teams across many industries, but primarily the Victorian Water Sector.  His expertise covers all facets of Human Resources, and specialises in the areas of Industrial/Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, People Strategy and Analytics and Cultural Change initiatives.  

Mark also has extensive Not for Profit Governance experience including being a current Board Director and the Safeguarding Children Sponsor of YMCA Geelong, was the Inaugural Chair of Samaritan House Geelong and helped established The Chase and Tyler Foundation for awareness of carbon dioxide poisoning in the home.

He also brings a wealth of knowledge from the local sporting landscape, where he has been a former President, player and ongoing Committee member at the Marshall Cricket Club for a number of years.

Mark is currently the Manager of People Services and Employee Relations for Greater Western Water (the newest Water Corporation for Victoria after the recent integration of City West Water and Western Water).

Lachie is a Geelong local and completed his Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) degree at Deakin University, majoring in Journalism and Public Relations. 

He is part of the corporate affairs team at the City of Greater Geelong and works closely with the Mayor and Councillor group. 

He was previously a reporter at the Geelong Advertiser for nearly a decade, finishing his time as the newspaper’s chief football writer, and has a professional background in logistics and sales management. He has also worked as an auditor for a local hotel group. 

Lachie made his senior debut in the Geelong Football Netball League when he was 16 and has been involved in football for more than 30 years at a number of clubs, most recently as an assistant coach of St Joseph’s under-18s team.