WAFC Commissioner Election Results Thursday, December 3, 2020 - 11:28 AM

The results of the elections for Commissioners of the West Australian Football Commission were endorsed last night, Wednesday 2 December 2020, at a meeting of WA Football stakeholders.
 
Commissioner Brian O’Donnell was reappointed for three years, while Ian Callahan, Phil Lamb and Dixie Marshall were appointed as new Commissioners for a term of three years.
 
WAFC Chairman Hon. Wayne Martin congratulated all Commissioners on their appointment and thanked the voting members for their support throughout the process.
 
“The WAFC is excited to attract these quality individuals to join the Commission and play a part in supporting the growth and development of football in Western Australia,” Mr Martin said.
 
“I look forward to working with Brian for a further three years and welcome Ian, Phil and Dixie as new Commissioners as we embark on an exciting and challenging next chapter for football.”
 
“I would like to thank everyone who nominated for this election and wish them all the best for the future.”
 
Neil Randall has concluded his tenure after serving nine years as a Commissioner between 2012 and 2020.
 
Chris Cottier did not nominate for re-election as a Commissioner after serving a three-year term from 2018 to 2020.
 
Grant Dorrington was not re-elected after serving a six-year term from 2015 to 2020.
 
“Neil, Chris and Grant have given a tremendous amount to football over their time as Commissioners and I personally thank them for their contribution to the game,” Mr Martin said.
 
The newly endorsed Commissioners will begin on January 1, 2021.
 
ELECTION RESULTS
 
Brian O’Donnell
Re-appointed for a 3-year term from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023
Brian has been a Commissioner of the WAFC since January 2018 and completes his first three-year term in December 2020. During his current term on the WAFC, he has served on the Finance, Funding and Commercial Committee and the Risk and Governance Committee.
Before joining the WAFC, Brian was as a Director of Fremantle Football Club for 10 years, including the Club’s most successful period to date. He has also served in various community sport roles, including as a junior cricket coach, junior football team manager, and Secretary of East Fremantle Cricket Club.
Brian has over 30 years’ experience in the finance and investment industry. He is currently Finance and Investments Director for the Australian Capital Equity (ACE) Group, with overall responsibility for all finance facilities and lender relationships for the Group, as well as responsibility for investment assessment, execution and management.
Brian’s qualifications and experience in football, finance and business, including the last three years on the WAFC, enable him to continue to make a valuable contribution to the Commission in providing guidance to all levels of the game and work with all football stakeholders.
 
Ian Callahan
Appointed for a 3-year term from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023
Ian brings considerable commercial and financial experience to his role as WAFC Commissioner. This is complimented by an understanding of football gained through previous service roles, playing and umpiring in several of the football competitions in Western Australia and being an ongoing member and supporter of football clubs at multiple levels of the football system. Currently Chief Operating Officer at Curtin University, Ian has a broad commercial knowledge, skill base and experience gained from CEO, COO and CFO roles across a variety of industries. He has also held director roles in public and not for profit organisations and entrepreneurial activity in start-up and SME businesses.
As a Chartered Accountant and drawing on experience from his executive and Board roles, Ian brings to the Commission sound financial, commercial and strategy skills with a significant people and culture, health and safety, audit, risk management, digital innovation and governance background upon which to draw. With 15 years experience as an executive in the university sector, Ian has considerable experience in stakeholder engagement, having demonstrated success in bringing both internal and external groups of stakeholders together to achieve successful outcomes.
 
Phil Lamb
Appointed for a 3-year term from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023
Phil has been involved in football for virtually his whole life, including 44 years of continuous, active involvement in the WAFL. As a player of 227 WAFL league games, a selector at club and state level and a commentator of WAFL and AFL matches, collectively spanning the past four and a half decades, he possesses a combination of experience across the various aspects of the game, an affinity with the clubs, club personnel, as well as many of the important stakeholders in WA football. Phil has been self-employed for over thirty years, as Joint Managing Director of Bay Financial Services, a finance broking company specialising exclusively in negotiating and arranging the financing of vehicles, plant and equipment for businesses in all fields of industry and commerce. He is also Founder and Managing Director of White Line Management, formed in 1995 to manage and support listed AFL and aspiring AFL Footballers as well as athletes from various disciplines. Business activities include negotiating player contracts, sourcing marketing and promotional opportunities and general support for clients.

Dixie Marshall
Appointed for a 3-year term from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023
Dixie comes from a football family with intergenerational involvement in the game. She is a member of two WAFL Clubs, has family playing WAFL league/reserves and amateurs, and her great-grandfather and father played league for East Fremantle.
Sport has also played a large role in Dixie’s professional life. She was the first woman APL commentator on Australian television in 1986, reported football specifically and sports more broadly, for the 7 Network in Melbourne and the 9 Network in Perth, winning awards for football journalism and hosted the national sports programme, Sportsworld, with Bruce McAvaney. She has also worked at the highest level of State Government, from the Office of the Premier, and in this role helped develop a range of sporting policies, including the Kids Sport programme. Dixie now runs content agency, Flare, and is a director of the Marketforce Group - part of the global Omnicom network. Dixie brings contemporary media, data, digital marketing and communication expertise to the Commission, along with a sound understanding of Australian/WA Government structure and policy, crisis management skills, and extensive traditional media knowledge and relationships.