Y NSW welcomes new Board Members who have a passion for empowering youth

YMCA NSW (Y NSW) Chair, Richard Hughes, has announced the appointment of three new Board members, effective immediately. 

Jason King, Helen Wild and George Perry will join the Board of Directors, replacing departing Directors  Philip Knox and Frances-Anne Keeler for their service. 

Mr Knox and Ms Keeler were thanked for their valuable contribution to the Y NSW across their four- and two-year respective tenures, and for playing a significant role in weathering the recent storm of COVID-19 “while staying true to who we are,” Mr Hughes said. 

Mr King and Mr Perry bring extensive experience in sports administration, events and venue operations to the Y NSW, complimented by Ms Wild, who is the current Company Secretary for the Australian Institute of Company Directors whose financial expertise will help increase the Y’s footprint and impact sustainably.

Mr King, who holds a position as General Manager, National Rugby League, has extensive experience in sports administration, having held leadership roles in operational, commercial and strategic functions. He has led programs in high performance and athlete development and been responsible for designing and implementing strategy for elite sporting competitions.

Ms Wild has over 25 years’ strategic commercial experience encompassing private, government and not-for-profit organisations, holding senior management and executive positions across industries such as: education; insurance; aviation; manufacturing; rail; construction and local government. Her executive positions include 23 years’ as CFO (and equivalent) and 16 years’ as Company Secretary.

Mr Perry, who is the Infrastructure Project Manager, VenuesLive (operator of Stadium Australia and Bankwest Stadium) has over twenty-five years’ experience in the sport, major events, and venue management industries, including working on the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Rugby World Cup. He held an executive position in Rugby Australia and was CEO of Sydney FC, as well as holding an executive position in the highly-respected not-for-profit consumer group, CHOICE.

Y NSW CEO Susannah Le Bron joined Mr Hughes in welcome, noting that having a diversity of expertise and voices on the Y NSW Board is “absolutely fundamental to the Y’s success, so I’m thrilled to see a suite of such high calibre Directors wanting to join the Y family.”

The Y NSW Board Members provide leadership and strategic guidance for the Y NSW in addition to overseeing management’s implementation of significant initiatives across the provider’s network of 22 recreation centres, 62 Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) centres, two outdoor education and camping locations and “myriad valuable youth and community services.”

“Young people are the future of our community. It is vital that environments are created so that they have the opportunity to live their best lives, physically and mentally,” Ms Wild said. 

Mr King, the father of three young boys, said that he couldn’t think of a better purpose to be aligned with than” believing in the power of inspired young people.” 

Mr Perry said he is looking forward to working with Y NSW frontline staff to develop and enhance the physical, social and mental wellbeing of children and young people during his tenure. 

Further information about Y NSW can be found in the latest Y NSW Community and Annual Report which can be accessed here.