General Manager Announcement
Dear Members,
It is with great pleasure that the BOM announces that Ben White has accepted the position of General Manager. Ben was the successful applicant over a large and highly credentialed field with the interview panel inlcuding life members and board members. He has presented an innovative and detailed vision of how he will lead the SPBA over the coming years.
Ben has a long history with the association as both an administrator and a state level coach. This on and off-court experience made him the ideal candidate. Many of you may know Ben from running the Vic Country Development Programs such as u12 and u14 skills day. Or alternatively, you have seen him on the sidelines of our Men’s team as an Assistant Coach.
Off the court, Ben started with the Sharks as the Competition Manager and held this position for 5 years, finishing in 2019. During this time, he was able to increase participation by 28% and revenue by over $60,000 in the last three years.
Ben’s work as the Tournament Director for the last three years has been outstanding, growing the tournament into the 2nd biggest Basketball Tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. Increasing revenue by over $50,000 while engaging over 500 teams and 15 000 participants yearly.
Most recently, Ben has been working at Basketball Victoria and has been a critical player in the development and rollout of PlayHQ. This new multi-million dollar technology investment for the use of over 160 associations throughout the state and other sports.
The combination of his understanding of the internal workings of the SPBA and the broader view from Basketball Victoria, along with his knowledge of Domestic and Elite pathways, makes Ben the ideal leader to navigate the SPBA through this difficult COVID-19 period and grow the association once we return to normality.
Ben’s immediate focus for the next 12 months (after we return to the court):
- Develop internal structures and policies to industry standards
- Begin implementation of the school and club expansion project
- Build a database of volunteers including specialized roles
- Build inclusion and indigenous portfolios
- Implement curriculum from grassroots to high performance for players, coaches, and referees.
We hope you are as excited to welcome Ben to this role and look forward to his innovative and inclusive leadership in this new era at the Shark Tank. The board hopes this is the first of some exciting announcements to come.
This role will officially start from the 3rd of August, 2020.
To get in touch, Ben’s email is gm@sharksbasketball.com.au and after the return to the office 5981 0347.