THE BRISBANE Lions have added two members to their board of directors as they continue to try and right a spluttering ship.
Sarah Kelly has been added as an expertise director and will head a sub-committee to drive marketing and membership, while Andrew Wellington will focus on finance.
The duo was selected unanimously by the club's existing five directors to join the board during a time of great turmoil for the Lions, who have a range of issues that need resolving, starting with the appointment of a new CEO to replace recently departed Malcolm Holmes.
Kelly is a senior lecturer in marketing and director of the MBA program at the University of Queensland, and Wellington a chartered accountant and partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia.
They join as the club is also working through the stalled process of funding a new elite training and administration facility, and continuing to broker AFL funding arrangements and a new Gabba agreement.
Chairman Bob Sharpless says they bring vast business, corporate and academic experience to the club.
“It was always envisaged that more directors would be added as we work together to get the right mix of skills in this important period of rebuilding," Sharpless said.
Kelly joins Sharpless as an expertise director, and therefore cannot be voted off the board by members.
Wellington will be part of a member vote at the Annual General Meeting later this year, along with football director Leigh Matthews, Peter McGregor and, as per the club’s constitution, one of either Cameron Milner and Mick Power.
Sharpless said the Lions had identified a number of high-quality candidates for the vacant CEO role and would advertise for the position in the national press in coming days.
The board would then decide on a shortlist before interviews were conducted in coming weeks.
Greg Swann, who will step aside as Carlton's chief executive next month, has already been linked as one of the leading candidates.
