AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou today announced the appointment of Dorothy Hisgrove as General Manager People, Customer and Community.
Ms Hisgrove is currently the General Manager Culture & Communications, Corporate Affairs & People for Australia Post, a position she has held since 2010.
Her career also includes senior roles with the National Australia Bank, AXA Asia Pacific and BHP Billiton.
“As a member of our executive, Dorothy will play a key role in our new organisational structure with responsibilities for human resources, fan development and engagement and community engagement including all of our participation and diversity programs,” Mr Demetriou said.
“We are delighted that someone with her experience is available to join our organisation,” he said.
Her responsibilities with the AFL will include:
- The people, culture and human resources roles within the AFL as well as broader club and community education programs
- Dealing with the AFL’s community club and development networks and the marketing function to get people to play our game, attend AFL matches and watch our game through all forms of media.
Ms Hisgrove said she was excited to join the AFL at a time when key trends are reshaping the sporting landscape.
“I have long been a fan of the Australian sporting culture and in particular, AFL, and believe I can apply the insights from my experience leading corporate culture transformations to benefit the AFL and contribute to the continuing development of a great sporting brand. In particular, I am looking forward to working with the clubs and community stakeholders to build on the work and enthusiasm that has made AFL the success it is today,” she said.
Throughout her career, Ms Hisgrove has had senior executive roles in a range of industries including postal, financial services and natural resources sectors including:
- Culture change and employee engagement
- Organisation/leadership development
- Employee relations
- Diversity and inclusion
- Customer acquisition
- Retail marketing
- Reputation and issues management
Ms Hisgrove holds Post Graduate qualifications in Marketing from RMIT and a Bachelor of Business from RMIT with a major in marketing and will join the AFL in July.
Her executive experience also includes:
National Australia Bank – 2004-2010
- General Manager, People Engagement & Change Group Human Capital
- Head of Customer Value Propositions Strategy & Marketing – Retail Bank
- Head of Group Communications Corporate Affairs
AXA Asia Pacific – 2003-2004
- Head of Communications & Sustainability Human Resources
BHP Billiton – 1992-2002
- Group Manager External Affairs, Transport & Logistics
- Senior Manager External Affairs Corporate Services
- Senior public affairs roles in media, government relations, internal communications in corporate centre and in business units.
Ends
Patrick Keane
AFL media manager
