Ross Oakley
Encyclopedia
Ross Oakley is an Australia
n businessman and former Australian rules football
er with St Kilda in the VFL. He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union
and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels
rugby union franchise in September 2010.
and began his senior VFL footballing career with the St Kilda Football Club in 1962. He went on to score 38 goals in 62 games. His career was marred by unfortunate knee injuries; the first came in 1965 in St Kilda's semi-final victory, which meant Oakley missed the Grand Final
. He suffered déjà vu
in 1966, missing not only the Grand Final, but St Kilda's first VFL premiership. Following a further injury before the start of the 1967 season, Oakley retired at the age of 24.
. Over the decade that followed Ross oversaw the transformation of the VFL into the Australian Football League
. In 2009 Oakley was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame
. His previous career included management of insurance companies (e.g. AAMI), and he was chief executive of Royal Insurance (which may have led to media jibes that he was an "insurance salesman").
Oakley's appointment as Melbourne Rebels
' CEO was announced 9 September 2010, when the Rebels also said the franchise was to join forces with the VRU
to build rugby union in Victoria, at both professional and amateur levels. Oakley became CEO to fill the gap left by the resignation of Rebels' founding CEO Brian Waldron who resigned in early 2010 in the wake of the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal.
During his time with the VFL/AFL Oakley was deeply involved in mergers, such as the proposed 1989 Fitzroy
- Footscray merger (which would have happened if it wasn't for the Footscray supporters raising money to keep Footscray afloat). The Age
reported, "Under Oakley's guidance five new clubs — Brisbane Bears
and West Coast Eagles
(1988), Adelaide (1991), Fremantle
(1995) and Port Adelaide
(1996) — joined the more professional, national competition."
Oakley holds a Master of Business Administration
(MBA) from the Melbourne Business School
He is a former Adjunct Professor at Deakin University
's Faculty Business and Law where he also lectured.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n businessman and former Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er with St Kilda in the VFL. He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union
Victorian Rugby Union
The Victorian Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the state of Victoria, Australia. The VRU manages 26 clubs in metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria,and the border region of NSW which compromises 156 junior, senior mens and women's teams.-History:The Victorian Rugby Union was...
and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels
Melbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
rugby union franchise in September 2010.
Playing career
Oakley attended Wesley College, MelbourneWesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne is an independent, co-educational, Christian day school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. Wesley is the largest school in Australia by enrolment, with 3,511 students and 564 full-time staff...
and began his senior VFL footballing career with the St Kilda Football Club in 1962. He went on to score 38 goals in 62 games. His career was marred by unfortunate knee injuries; the first came in 1965 in St Kilda's semi-final victory, which meant Oakley missed the Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
. He suffered déjà vu
Déjà vu
Déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the prior encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined...
in 1966, missing not only the Grand Final, but St Kilda's first VFL premiership. Following a further injury before the start of the 1967 season, Oakley retired at the age of 24.
Executive career
Oakley was appointed Chairman and CEO of the then troubled Victorian Football League in 1986, taking over the role from Jack HamiltonJack Hamilton (footballer)
Jack Hamilton was an Australian rules football player in the Victorian Football League before becoming a prominent administrator....
. Over the decade that followed Ross oversaw the transformation of the VFL into the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. In 2009 Oakley was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame
Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
. His previous career included management of insurance companies (e.g. AAMI), and he was chief executive of Royal Insurance (which may have led to media jibes that he was an "insurance salesman").
Oakley's appointment as Melbourne Rebels
Melbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
' CEO was announced 9 September 2010, when the Rebels also said the franchise was to join forces with the VRU
Victorian Rugby Union
The Victorian Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the state of Victoria, Australia. The VRU manages 26 clubs in metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria,and the border region of NSW which compromises 156 junior, senior mens and women's teams.-History:The Victorian Rugby Union was...
to build rugby union in Victoria, at both professional and amateur levels. Oakley became CEO to fill the gap left by the resignation of Rebels' founding CEO Brian Waldron who resigned in early 2010 in the wake of the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal.
During his time with the VFL/AFL Oakley was deeply involved in mergers, such as the proposed 1989 Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
- Footscray merger (which would have happened if it wasn't for the Footscray supporters raising money to keep Footscray afloat). The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
reported, "Under Oakley's guidance five new clubs — Brisbane Bears
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
and West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
(1988), Adelaide (1991), Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
(1995) and Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
(1996) — joined the more professional, national competition."
Oakley holds a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
(MBA) from the Melbourne Business School
Melbourne Business School
Melbourne Business School is a business school located in Melbourne, Australia that has been ranked in the Financial Times since 2005 and The Economist Top 20 in the World. MBS was placed as the second best business school in the Asia-Pacific in the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report....
He is a former Adjunct Professor at Deakin University
Deakin University
Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
's Faculty Business and Law where he also lectured.
Board positions
Ross Oakley is a former Chairman of Royal Australian Holdings Ltd, Royal Life Insurance Australia Ltd, and the State Training Board of Victoria. He is listed as Chairman of the Get Going Sport Foundation, and he has served as director on the boards of AAMI Ltd and Tisdall Wines. Between 1997-2001 Oakley was a director of Harris Scarfe Holdings Limited.External links
- Ross Oakley AFL Profile
- Ross Oakley Get Going Sport Foundation Chairman
- Ross Oakley Sports Corp Elite Speaker
- Ross Oakley ICMI Leadership Speaker