Basketball Australia names Matt Scriven as new chief executive

Basketball Australia has today announced the appointment of Matt Scriven, most recently the Managing Director of Nine Melbourne, as its new Chief Executive.

Revealing the appointment, Basketball Australia Chair, John Carey advised “the Board is delighted to have identified Matt to lead the organisation.

“He is an exceptional and experienced business executive and commercial leader, and his expertise will be paramount to execute the organisation’s strategic objectives to drive participation and commercial outcomes for the sport.”

Responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Channel 9, The Age and 3AW in his last role, Scriven has experience of business transformation, cultural and organisational redesign and is skilled at delivering strategic growth.

In addition to his extensive corporate experience, Scriven has a lifelong connection to basketball and is deeply passionate about the sport, having first-hand experience across every level of the game, from grassroots through to high performance.

He played State Representative at the National Junior Championships and SEABL Basketball for 10 years and was most recently a Board Director with both the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix and Basketball Hawthorn.

He also worked in marketing and sponsorship for the NBL in the late 1990s.

Welcoming Scriven to his new role, Cary added “Matt has a very strong sense of the possibilities for basketball in this country. He also has an extensive network of relationships with CEOs and CMOs across Australia. He has significant experience in digital and social media, data activation and content creation which will be invaluable for understanding how the modern consumer or participant wants to engage with Basketball.

Excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and praised the recent governance reforms led by Sport Australia and supported by Basketball Australia and its member states, Scriven stated “I am honoured and privileged to be appointed as CEO of Basketball Australia and I am excited to be charged with the responsibility for the growth of our Sport.

“I am looking forward to working with the BA team, and partnering with our state member associations, the NBL, WNBL, ABPA, FIBA and Sport Australia to deliver on our collective ambitions for the sport. We have a unique opportunity to drive increased participation, fan engagement and innovative commercialisation across all tiers of the sport, at a time where the Boomers and Opals are set to do us proud on the International stage.”

The Basketball Australia Board partnered in the recruitment process with SRI, the international search and consulting firm.

The Board also thanked Carolyn Campbell who has stepped in as interim Chief Executive for the last three months at what has been a critical time for the sport, with Carey concluding “Carolyn has been exceptional in supporting our new Board, and in managing the challenges of our preparations for Tokyo.”

Scriven will start with Basketball Australia on Monday 5th July.

Image of Matt Scriven courtesy of Basketball Australia.