In January 2020, Sport Australia (formerly known as the Australia Sports Commission or the ASC) announced its first appointment of a female chair in Josephine Sukkar. The appointment came on the heels of the commission’s first female CEO, Kate Palmer, stepped down after three years.
The news left many wondering who Josephine Sukkar is. From an administrative point of view, Sukkar as chairwoman will be responsible for providing opportunities for Australians to get active and achieve their athletic goals. Sport Australia accomplishes this by working with local, state, and private organizations to promote participation in sports at the smallest local level all the way to the Olympic level.
Though Sukkar’s work has only begun, her extensive background serving as chairwoman on private and public boards should help her greatly. As the co-founder of the mega-successful Buildcorp, Sukkar has ample experience in handling major construction projects.
But it’s her experience as the president of Australian women’s rugby that has sports enthusiasts excited to see what she’ll bring to Sport Australia.
Big Plans for Sport Australia
Ms. Sukkar’s background in business will help her navigate the sporting world’s big-money sectors, from the recent partnership between Amazon Prime and Swimming Australia to ambitious moves from Tabcorp. But it isn’t just domestic broadcasting and big-money deals to oversee.
As the US expands its online and mobile betting offers, successful sportsbooks will look abroad to countries like Australia to expand their market. Currently, experts offer bets on major leagues from the NCAAB to NASCAR, but could expand to offer wagers on leagues like the ARL and BBL. Meanwhile, more and more domestic sportsbooks in Australia are also shifting to offer odds on American leagues like the NBA and NFL.
For Sukkar, these challenges perfectly bridge the fields of her experience: business and sports. Following a successful rise as a business executive with Buildcorp, Sukkar has helped to shape and support women’s sports in Australia.
As president of Australia women’s rugby, she’s familiar with concerns from athletes like Ben Rutten all the way to the economic challenges faced by the Wallaroos squad. One of her greatest challenges will be to correctly channel funds to small grassroots movements and to major rugby, cricket, and football teams like the Wallaroos.
Interestingly enough, Sukkar’s Twitter page features a ton of initiatives the chairwoman is passionate about, which includes rallying volunteers for local sporting events, celebrating female CEOs, to commenting on the interaction of social justice and sports.
No Stranger to Boardrooms
Though Sukkar got her start by co-founding a commercial construction company, she didn’t stay in the private sector for long. Over the course of her storied career, she’s been a part of private, public, government, and non-profit boards that have helped to protect and promote a wide range of interests and locations.
She’s worked closely with natural and historical causes, including a stint with the Parramatta Park Trust from 2017-2020 and currently serves on the Green Building Council of Australia. She’s also served on the board for Opera Australia since 2011 and the Australian Museum Trust since 2019.
Sukkar has also undertaken other projects, like the Centenary Institute (active from 2011 to present), which supports biological research to fight cancer, and the Melbourne University Infrastructure Advisory Board (2017-2020).
However, a large portion of Sukkar’s time spent in boardrooms has revolved around sports. From 2015-2019, she served on the Australian Rugby Foundation board and the Sydney University Football Club Foundation (since 2010). Additionally, Buildcorp has helped fund and promote rugby (with a focus on women’s rugby) for three decades.
For her various initiatives, Sukkar has been honored as a Member of the Order of Australia (2017) for her service to the cultural, social, and construction sectors of the country. So what more could Sukkar hope to accomplish?
According to Sukkar herself, she’s looking forward to helping Australians meet their sports-related goals, with a specific focus on grassroots programs that will foster a sense of community through athletic events.
