Eleven candidates will battle to replace former Magpies’ president Mark Korda for a spot on the Collingwood board at the club’s annual general meeting on December 15.
Ex-Racing Integrity Commissioner and homicide squad detective Sal Perna, founder of digital agency sports geek Sean Callanan, automotive manager Chris Macdonald and public health expert Amanda Cameron are candidates for the second consecutive year having stood for election in 2021.
The list of candidates includes past players president Paul Tuddenham, lawyer Matthew Ganley, human resources expert Dianne Kaminski, businessmen Theo George, construction and property business owner Kiriakos (Gary) Thomaidis, digital marketing strategist Constantine Frantzeskos and IT expert Daniel Taft.
Collingwood’s board originally endorsed head of Warner Music Dan Rosen as their preferred candidate before he withdrew leaving the field of 11 contesting the election.
The club’s board has changed significantly since the start of 2021 when Eddie McGuire’s long tenure as Magpies president ended when he stood down in February after the Do Better report was released.
Sal Perna is standing for the club board. Credit:The Age
Since then, Paul Licuria, Jodie Sizer and Christine Holgate have been joined by Jeff Browne, who is now president, Barry Carp and Renee Roberts. The club widened the definition of an ordinary member this year meaning more members can vote with the club holding two elections in two years after a long period without elections.
Ganley said the absence of an endorsed candidate gave Collingwood members a unique opportunity to have a voice representing their interests on the board.
“With the board already well represented in terms of a past player and strong business interests, I believe my strong governance skills acquired from my legal background gives me a strong point of difference to what we already have on the board,” Ganley said.
Collingwood are on the lookout for a new CEO after Mark Anderson resigned with football manager Graham Wright serving as his interim replacement.
Hawthorn face a tight election with five candidates contesting three vacant board positions and a presidential battle between premiership player Andy Gowers and board member Peter Nankivell.
Defending premiers Geelong are unlikely to enforce term limits for directors as had been informally applied in recent seasons when former president Colin Carter left after 12 years.
The club said there were no defined term limits in the club constitution, so it was not considered mandatory for existing board members to leave at the end of 12 years.
