Hockey New Zealand is very pleased to announce the appointment of Hilary Poole to the role of CEO, effective 3 August 2009.
Hilary has had a commercial career at senior management level, including 10 years in senior marketing and operational roles in retail financial services for Bank of New Zealand and GE capital in the UK. Since 1997, Hilary has been advising business leaders on strategy, marketing and organisation development.
During this time Hilary has also served on several boards, both as an independent director for a privately owned rapidly growing food company in Hamilton, Prolife Foods Ltd, and as trustee then chair of several not for profit organisations, including First Foundation and Diocesan School for Girls.
Hilary has significant experience in sponsorship, branding and fundraising which will be usefully applied to assist with the development of Hockey. Hilary is an avid lover of sport, and played hockey to representative level at secondary school. She has degrees in both Physical Education and Commerce (Marketing and Economics) from Otago University.
Hilary succeeds the founding CEO of Hockey NZ, Ramesh Patel, who has taken on the newly created role of Hockey Director which has accountability to the CEO for all hockey-related aspects of Hockey NZ.
“Hilary will provide strong leadership of Hockey throughout New Zealand. Her skills will enable in particular, the strengthening of the commercial aspects of the game that will provide resources for the development of the sport from grass roots to elite – facilitating increased participation at all levels of the sport and improved high performance from our national men’s and women’s Black Sticks teams”, says Graham Child, Chair of Hockey New Zealand.
Source: Hockey New Zealand
