Former Deloitte Asia Pacific chief Cindy Hook has been appointed CEO of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
US-born Hook first came to Australia in 2009 before heading up Deloitte Australia in 2015.
Describing the role as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, Hook said her main focus will be to ensure the Games will be cost-neutral.
“I honestly thought I was retiring from the corporate world back in June … but when an opportunity like this gets presented to you … the more I read and learned about the possibilities here, the more excited I got,” she told the ABC.
“Today, we’re really a start-up. We’re basically forming a business and we’ve got to set the foundations that will serve us well for the next 10 years.”
Citing her accounting background, Hook pledged “to live within our means” in the hosting of the 2032 Games.
“In business, to balance a budget you have to make choices, which means you can’t do everything you want,” she said.
Hook also emphasised the importance of making it an inclusive Games.
“First, you’ve got to get a diverse team … our First Nations people, people with disabilities, women, men, different cultural backgrounds,” she said.
“But a diverse team is only as good as the environment they work in … so I’ll absolutely be working on that.”
Brisbane Olympics president Andrew Liveris said Hook was chosen as she “knows what it takes to run a multi-billion-dollar business on time and on budget”.
“We wanted someone who not only knows how to open corporate doors, but for whom the doors are already wide open, across Australia and internationally,” he said.
