Equestrian Australia Board Elections

Equestrian Australia held the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 9 October. The AGM marked the end of the term of the last three original Board Directors who were appointed to steer the organisation out of Voluntary Administration in late 2020, namely the elected Chair, Mark Bradley, appointed Director Stephanie Lyons and Athlete Representative Director Elizabeth Owens.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to these Board members who have helped direct the organisation through a very challenging time in it's history and have played a significant role in improving governance standards across the entire organisation, as well as implementing the highest standards of financial and risk management.

At the AGM, Rhett Oliver was announced as an elected Director. We welcome Rhett, who brings to the Board a wealth of experience in equestrian sports through 30 years as a showjumper and a breeder. Rhett lives in Victoria and continues to compete in Jumping at Mini Prix level, Rhett also brings to the Board a significant amount of business experience, being a partner in a law firm.

Following the AGM, Christie Freeman was voted in as the new Chair. In the coming weeks we will have announcements about a new appointed Director and a new Athlete Representative Director.

Christie had the following to say regarding her new position as Chair:

It is with great pleasure that I take on the role of Chair at this crucial juncture for Equestrian Australia (EA).  As we move forward with the restructure of our organisation I see how much you all care for equestrian sport, whether as a rider, owner, volunteer, breeder or official.  It is this commitment to its growth, development and the well-being of our equine partners that makes me confident that we will be able to transform EA into the organisation that will carry us through to Brisbane 2032 and beyond. 

This restructure represents an opportunity for us to strengthen and enhance our commitment to all equestrian disciplines.  Our goal is to create an environment that fosters growth and the pursuit of excellence in every facet of equestrianism. Your input and ideas are not only valued but are vital as we navigate through these changes. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing more of the proposed restructure but as a first step I want to outline the key principles and some of the actions that are already underway. 

The first is that EA and the State Branches are already collaborating to build shared services, such as improved IT systems and database, complaints and integrity handling and other member services, so that members are seamlessly provided the essential universal services, regardless of where they are in the country. 

The EA Board has also completed a strategic and structural review. As part of this the National Strategy and Structure Working Group undertook wide consultation and benchmarking to produce a set of recommendations for principles to underpin the future structure. These principles formed the basis of the National Structure Discussion paper for a proposed future structure which is currently under review by the State Branches and Discipline Committees. 

The key principles embedded in the proposed structure are that:

• The structure must put EA members front and foremost;
• National Discipline Committees are given greater resources and autonomy over planning development and growth;
• We maintain and increase a focus on supporting local delivery;
• We reduce administrative duplication;
• Shared services are established to meet universal member needs; and
• We establish a nationally consistent member fee model with more effective flow of funds.

In the coming weeks we will be sharing details more widely with members to get your input and feedback. I and the other directors will be out and about at events across Australia to hear from you and we welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.