Boston Consulting Group’s Grant McCabe Appointed New President Of The Geelong Cats

Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) local managing partner Grant McCabe has been announced as the next president of the Geelong Cats, succeeding Craig Drummond from 2025.

Mr. McCabe, who transitioned from an engineer to an adviser, assumed the role of Head of BCG in January last year after a three-month preparation period. He has been a member of the Geelong Football Club board since 2019 and played a vital role in securing an AFLW license for the club.

Growing up in Geelong, he has strong ties to the area, with his extended family still residing there. With a background in aerospace engineering from RMIT, Mr. McCabe spent a decade as an engineer at the Defence Science and Technology Group and General Motors before pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Melbourne Business School. His expertise lies in advising clients in the resource sector, including BHP and former CEO Andrew Mackenzie.

Craig Drummond, the current president, who is also the chairman of Transurban and former chief executive of Medibank and CFO of NAB, will be stepping down at the end of this year after serving on the board for 13 years. Mr. Drummond took the helm of the club following their premiership wins in 2007, 2009, and 2011, leading the club to another premiership in 2022 during his tenure.

Grant McCabe’s appointment follows a trend of prominent business figures taking the reins of AFL clubs, with former Business Council president Tim Reed recently succeeding businessman Tony Shepherd at Greater Western Sydney.

The succession in Geelong also mirrors similar appointments in other clubs, such as former PwC Australia chief Luke Sayers at Carlton, John O’Rourke, a co-founder and director of Plenary Group, at Richmond, investment banker Andrew Pridham at the Sydney Swans, and Disney executive Kylie Watson-Wheeler at the Western Bulldogs. The changing of the guard in AFL leadership, which includes notable figures like venture capitalist Paul Bassat and private equity expert Robin Bishop, comes as Woodside chairman Richard Goyder hints at potentially stepping down as chairman next year. In response to the transition, Mr. Drummond expressed gratitude for his time at Geelong and endorsed Mr. McCabe’s capabilities.

Meanwhile, Mr. McCabe expressed his honour and enthusiasm for the role, emphasising his longstanding support for the club and optimism for its future, acknowledging the collective passion and dedication of everyone involved in the club and the Geelong community.

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