Former Premier Morris Iemma named Chair of Venues NSW

The NSW Government has announced the appointment of former Premier of NSW, Morris Iemma, as the new Chair of the board of Venues NSW, filling the role vacated by Tony Shepherd who stepped down in February.

A statement from the NSW Government advised that “the role of Chairperson (of Venues NSW) was advertised after the previous chair vacated the position in February 2023” with the Premier’s Department and the Office of Sport leading the appointment process for this role.

The 40th Premier of NSW, who left the NSW Parliament in 2008, is currently Chairman of the NSW Government Cancer Institute, the Usman Khawaja Foundation and Clean Energy Partnerships and the Astra Institute of Higher Education.

He is currently on the boards of Football NSW and the Ingham Medical Research Institute and was previously a trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust (which has since become a part of Venues NSW).

Mindful that his appointment may been seen as ‘political’, the statement advised that the “the former Government also appointed Mr Iemma to (the roles of) Chair, Greyhound Racing NSW; Board Member, NSW TAFE and Commissioner South District, Greater Sydney Commission.

Emma Hogan also joins the Venues NSW board after leading the NSW Department of Customer Service since 2019.

Hogan is currently a board member at Destination NSW and ReachOut Australia, is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration and is a member of Chief Executive Women.

Announcing the appointments, NSW Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper stated “I am looking forward to working collaboratively with Morris Iemma and the entire Venues NSW board to ensure that we can continue our mission to make NSW and our venues the premier destination in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Morris Iemma is an outstanding candidate with a wealth of experience, including as the 40th Premier of NSW - and that is something that history shows both sides of politics can agree on.

“Emma Hogan is an incredible leader and public servant. Her work leading Service NSW and the people of NSW throughout COVID-19 was exemplary. She is an outstanding professional who will no doubt bring invaluable customer-focused experience to the board.”

Speaking after his appointment, Iemma, a former Sports Minister, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his immediate priority in the role was to complete master plans for the agency’s Newcastle and Wollongong precincts, and bolster the major events calendar.

Image: Morris Iemma. Credit: Premier Communications Group.