ONE of South Australia’s most respected businessmen has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Kevin Osborn - a non-executive Director of global agriculture company Viterra Inc. and Deputy Chairman of the Economic Development Board of South Australia - brings extensive corporate and boardroom experience to the Club.
Mr Osborn said: “It is my honour and privilege to join the board of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
“I have supported Port for most of my life and I was thrilled when it was admitted to the AFL. I look forward to serving the Club that has such a rich history and gives me so much enjoyment.”
Port Adelaide President Brett Duncanson welcomed Mr Osborn to the Board.
“Kevin’s global business network and his connections across Australia, together with his financial expertise, make him a wonderful asset for the Port Adelaide Football Club,” Mr Duncanson said.
“He is also a passionate Port Adelaide man and was one of the first in line to become a Foundation Leader of the Club by donating to its Back In Black debt reduction strategy.”
Mr Osborn is a former international banker, who spent 30 years working in global financial markets. Among his roles were senior management positions with the USA’s then fourth largest banking corporation Bank One, now part of JPMorgan Chase. He has also served as Deputy Chairman of the Bendigo and Adelaide Banks, where he chaired the credit committee and was a member of the audit and risk committees.
Mr Osborn has a passionate interest in sport that extends beyond football. He is a life member of the SA Basketball Association in recognition of long service as a player and coach.
He joins the Port Adelaide board as a replacement for Darryl Wakelin who stood down to focus more attention on his business interests and family.
Mr Osborn joins fellow newly-appointed Directors John Auld and Richard Ryan, who replaced Jane Jeffreys and John Hood.
Mr Auld has worked in the Australian Wine Industry for over 30 years in Marketing and Sales roles. He has held senior positions with The Yalumba Wine Company including 16 years as a director of the parent company Samuel Smith and Son. A lover of horse racing, he spent over 10 years on the committee of the Oakbank Racing Club. He enjoys football, cricket, horse racing, wine, travel and is also a keen but ordinary golfer.
Mr Ryan is the Director of a number of public and private companies, with strong connections in South Australia and the Northern Territory. He is a Director of the Menzies School of Health Research, a Councillor of Flinders University and the Chair of the Adelaide Festival Board. He is a former Chancellor of Charles Darwin University. Mr Ryan was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for Services to the Community and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1998 for Services to Indigenous People.
Mr Duncanson said the new Directors bring complimentary skills and will build on the work of Mr Wakelin, Mr Hood and Ms Jeffreys and all other Board Members past and present.
