Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Belinda Keay

Melbourne

Summary

Dynamic and strategic Sports and Events Executive with over 20 years of experience orchestrating high-profile, large-scale sporting events. Significant experience leading complex stakeholder engagement across Leagues, Clubs, Governments, Venues, Clients and suppliers. Proven expertise in leading cross-functional teams, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, and delivering events that drive tourism and economic growth. Adept at navigating government and public sector environments, with a strong track record in operational excellence and strategic planning. A trusted industry contact.

Overview

13
13
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

General Manager – Live

TGI Sport
03.2024 - Current
  • Leads the Major Events, Premium Experiences, and Brand Activations team, delivering large-scale, high-profile activations and hospitality programs for top-tier sports rights holders.
  • This includes the AFL's Grand Final Parade, Footy Festival & September Club, NBL's Hoopsfest, Cricket Australia's National Fan Engagement Strategy, Big Bash League Finals as well as campaigns and projects for some of the largest brand partners including Sportsbet, CUB, Telstra, Chemist Warehouse, Emirates and Nissan.
  • Oversees strategic planning and execution of live events, production, green-field site builds and public safety, ensuring alignment with objectives and audience engagement goals.
  • Executive level engagement across major venues including MCC & MOPT.
  • Significant experience with City of Melbourne A-team planning requirement.
  • Manages a diverse team of professionals with 15 full time resources and up to 15 contractors fostering a positive work environment.
  • Analyzed market trends/ data to identify opportunities for business growth withing existing or emerging markets
  • Negotiated with multiple suppliers to secure better pricing, reducing operational costs while maintaining product quality.
  • Complex stakeholder management across states, venues, rights holders, brands and suppliers to navigate delivering high profile projects in challenging timeframes and budgets.

Lecturer / Casual Academic

Deakin University
03.2018 - Current
  • Designed and delivered undergraduate and postgraduate curricula in sports event and facility management. Integrated industry practice with academic theory to support learning outcomes.
  • Evaluated student progress through regular assessments, providing detailed feedback for improvement and growth.
  • Increased student interest by incorporating real-world examples into lessons and connecting material to relevant experiences.
  • Mentored and advised students to explore career pathways based and amplify knowledge, skills and strengths.

Operations Director, Big Bash Leagues

Cricket Australia
07.2020 - 03.2024
  • Directed match-day delivery for both the Men’s and Women’s Big Bash Leagues, scaling the league from 35 men's matches over 8 venues to 120 matches across 30 venues over a men's and women's competition.
  • Lead the League's response to COVID including overseeing the the League's COVID Critical team. This included driving return to play & return to crowds plans, Government engagement and drafting quarantine management plans across the country. Managing budgets in excess of 25 million dollars. In 2020 Big Bash became only the 2nd and 3rd leagues globally to play all of their content in their scheduled window.
  • Developed and implemented strategic plans to grow and drive fan engagement resulting in significant growth across in stadium and via broadcast attendances.
  • Women's Big Bash League has grown into the 4th highest view sport' s League in Australia (men or women). Men's Big Bash attracts over a million attendees a season and averages 750k viewers per night.
  • Cultivated a high-performance work environment by setting clear expectations and fostering open communication between League and Clubs.
  • Built strong relationships with stakeholders at all organizational levels, fostering collaboration between departments for optimal results.

Event Presentation & Operations Manager, W/BBL

Cricket Australia
10.2015 - 06.2020
  • Directed event strategies, security, and stakeholder alignment for one of the world’s largest sporting leagues.
  • Delivered league-owned events and new market expansion. Achieved record-breaking Net Promoter Scores.
  • Managed League operations staff and kept employees compliant with company policies and procedures.

NRC Project Manager

Victorian Rugby Union / Melbourne Rebels
05.2015 - 10.2015
  • Led all operational elements for the National Rugby Championship. Delivered the Frankston Festival of Rugby and secured over $150K in funding through government engagement and community development.

Project Coordinator – Major Events

State Government of Victoria
11.2014 - 05.2015
  • Supported the management of $21M+ government contracts across the 2015 Men's AFC Asian Cup and 2015 Men's ICC Cricket World Cup.
  • Developed security protocols, incident response plans, and VIP logistics for high-profile international events.
  • Facilitated training sessions for the Authorised Officer program.
  • Engagement across Government departments including Victoria Police State Event Planning unit, PTV, Ambulance Victoria, Tourism Victoria, MCC, MOPT,
  • Engagement with Federal counterparts during planning and execution of events.
  • Engagement with Minister's Office regarding tournaments, briefing documents and media issues.
  • Victorian Government representative in various control rooms throughout the tournaments.

Event Manager / Coordinator

Max Events
01.2012 - 09.2014
  • Delivered end-to-end event execution for a range of clients including Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Rebels and Melbourne Storm.
  • Managed venue logistics, entertainment, broadcast, runsheets, risk management and stakeholder engagement for audiences of up to 50 million worldwide.
  • Project Managed Liverpool v Melbourne Victory in 2013 which saw 95,000 fans attend the MCG and was Liverpool's highest ever merchandise sales day in their history.

Education

Bachelor of Business - Event Management

Victoria University
01.2009

Bachelor of Arts - Sports Administration

Victoria University
01.2009

Skills

  • Major Event Planning & Execution
  • Government & Stakeholder Relations
  • Budget Oversight & Risk Management
  • Operational Readiness & Logistics
  • Contract & Project Management
  • Team Leadership & Development
  • Legislative Compliance
  • Marketing & Promotional Campaigns

Certification

  • First Aid
  • CPR
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • Chief Warden
  • Whitecard
  • Working with Children Check

Timeline

General Manager – Live

TGI Sport
03.2024 - Current

Operations Director, Big Bash Leagues

Cricket Australia
07.2020 - 03.2024

Lecturer / Casual Academic

Deakin University
03.2018 - Current

Event Presentation & Operations Manager, W/BBL

Cricket Australia
10.2015 - 06.2020

NRC Project Manager

Victorian Rugby Union / Melbourne Rebels
05.2015 - 10.2015

Project Coordinator – Major Events

State Government of Victoria
11.2014 - 05.2015

Event Manager / Coordinator

Max Events
01.2012 - 09.2014

Bachelor of Arts - Sports Administration

Victoria University

Bachelor of Business - Event Management

Victoria University

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Belinda Keay