Western Bulldogs appoint fourth female director, in an AFL first

[bornadog]

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Leadership team: Board members (clockwise from left) Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Gaye Hamilton, Susan Alberti and Fiona McGauchie. Photo: Darrian Traynor

Women are on the cusp of parity with men for representation on the Western Bulldogs' board following its unprecedented appointment of a fourth female director.


Fiona McGauchie, a consultant with global executive search company Egon Zehnder, became the club's ninth board member at a meeting last week.


McGauchie, who has a legal background, was relied on by the club during its recruitment last November of coach Luke Beveridge. She also advised the club during its search for a new chief executive – Nike executive David Stevenson – who was appointed last month.


No other AFL club has more than two female directors, with McGauchie joining Susan Alberti, Gaye Hamilton and Kylie Watson-Wheeler on the board.


A Bulldogs supporter who hopes to bring a strong "people lens" to the club, McGauchie said the club's sense of ambition appealed to her.


The mother of two young boys, one of whom has an intellectual disability, she has also been inspired by the inclusive nature of AFL football and its clubs.


"The Bulldogs have a desire to be different and a desire to look at everything that can be done around people, culture and leadership, not to mention sheer professionalism," McGauchie said.


"That attitude is very exciting to me, and everything I've learnt about the club suggests they really want to think boldly and confidently about where they can go. The way in which you manage people can be great or it can be ordinary, and we want the Bulldogs to be extraordinary and creative and to embrace diversity and new ideas.


"The people I work with spend all day every day assessing leaders, so there's great diversity to what we do, and to bring that into a club with the sort of ambition is something I'm really excited about."


Alberti, who became the first female Bulldogs director in 2004, said while the club did not seek out directors based on gender, it wanted to be seen as a leader in every possible area.


"I get really bogged down with gender imbalance. To me it's always been about, 'Who is the right person for the job?' That's it, that's the end of the story with me, but we want to be leading the way," she said.


"That's what we're always looking to do, but I'm not excited about having more women on the board, I'm excited about having women with as much talent as our women have on the board.


"They all have their areas of expertise and none of us are here for a dream ride. We're here to work, and we're expected to perform, which is how all boards should be."


McGauchie on Wednesday night attended the Australian launch of the 30% Club, which was created in the UK with the aim of encouraging greater gender balance on company boards. According to the Australian Institute of Company Directors, women currently fill 20per cent of board positions at publicly listed companies.


McGauchie said a challenge for the AFL and its clubs was to increase women's representation at executive level, something she would encourage in her new role.


"As much as I wasn't appointed because I'm a woman, I do think it's important for clubs to have women on boards, and to be an advocate of that and of greater female involvement at every level of football is really important to me," she said.


"Hopefully, the thing that's interesting about my appointment is I'm not the first appointment, I'm the fourth, and I'm the fourth out of nine people. For me, that's the difference."

[GVGjr]

Once again the Dogs lead the way with another positive step by the club. Our off field results of late are rivaling our on field performances.

[Throughandthrough]

Wtf is a "people Lens"?

[bulldogtragic]

Wtf is a "people Lens"?

How David Brent describes his management style.

[Ghost Dog]

Once again the Dogs lead the way with another positive step by the club. Our off field results of late are rivaling our on field performances.

I was just driving back from Coles, replaying Western Bulldogs highlights in my head, as you do, and the thought struck me.
Not only do we soon get back Caleb Daniels, Libba ( not soon, but...well, soonish ), and Zaine Cordy is yet to take on all comers, but now some more good news. Happy Days, and welcome Fiona.
Certainly not short of legal firepower at the Dogs.

[hujsh]

I think even though you want the 'best' people for the job, having some diversity and deliberately seeking talent in areas that others ignore has to give you some advantage over competition. I believe Dan Harmon (the guy who runs Community) gave himself a quota for women writers because they are so often overlooked that there had to be some extremely talented writers available who missed out just by being women. And it worked out really well for him.

It's a good sign that we've been able to find 4 women directors just finding the best people for the job. Means we hopefully aren't overlooking people who could make the club better.

[boydogs]

Wtf is a "people Lens"?

She's a recruiter, she'd be talking about getting the right people and creating the right environment for them to succeed in

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Welcome Fiona. Obviously talented and experienced and a great recruit. The club is becoming more foreward thinking, with a fresh approach that celebrates diversity and talent outside the incestuous world of AFL football. Hopefully your presence will help to attract more supporters of both genders.

[bornadog]

Peter and Susie have really elevated this club to another level. As Peter said on the Sunday Footy Show, "It's a great time to be a Bulldog"

[susie bulldog]

thanks guys A great time to be involved with the WB So proud Make sure as many people get to the game at Ethiad on the weekend and cheer for our warriors.

[LostDoggy]

Great work dogs - welcome Fiona. Really impressed with the club atm both on and off the field.

[LostDoggy]

thanks guys A great time to be involved with the WB So proud Make sure as many people get to the game at Ethiad on the weekend and cheer for our warriors.

Will be there with bells on!
Been practically jumping out of my skin the last few days about seeing the boys play this Saturday

[LostDoggy]

Wtf is a "people Lens"?

It's a dynamic, forward-thinking example of thought leadership designed to create synergy.

[Greystache]

It's a dynamic, forward-thinking example of thought leadership designed to create synergy.

Really it's about aligning cadence so we can develop a congruent operating rhythm, and the only way to do that is to flesh out responsibilities to ensure adequate roll hygiene.

[Eastdog]

Welcome Fiona to the club and good luck with your role on our club board. Was a tough loss yesterday after letting a huge lead slip but will be back - that is the Bulldog way.