Nicole James Appointed President of WPGA Tour of Australasia

The WPGA Tour of Australasia has announced a significant leadership transition to spearhead its next phase of commercial growth, appointing highly credentialled industry executive Nicole James as its new president.

The decision, which took effect immediately following last month’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), positions a prominent advocate for structural reform at the helm of the women’s professional game. James succeeds Julia Boland, who chose not to seek re-election after directing the organisation through an important eight-year tenure since 2018.

James expressed a clear mandate to build on the financial and competitive framework established under the previous leadership while keeping member value at the centre of her strategy.

“I’m honoured and excited to step into the role of President at such an important time for the WPGA Tour of Australasia.”

“My focus is on our members – listening, advocating and helping create more opportunities for them to compete, develop and thrive,” James said. 

Crucially for the Tour’s broader alignment with the men’s game, James has already established a strong corporate presence within national sporting frameworks. In 2025, she broke administrative ground as one of the first women appointed to the PGA of Australia’s Vocational Members Council (VMC), having been directly elected by her peers to represent member interests to the principal PGA Board.

The structural mechanics of the Tour remain steady amidst the administrative shift. The PGA of Australia will continue to operate the WPGA Tour of Australasia under a long-standing service agreement. Under this framework, WPGA Chief Executive Officer Karen Lunn sits on the PGA of Australia’s executive team while reporting directly to James and the freshly configured board.

Chief executive Karen Lunn reinforced that the new president’s multi-layered business and administrative experience is uniquely suited to capturing emerging commercial opportunities.

James will lead an oversight board featuring vice-president Jessica Dengate, member directors Bree Arthur and Cathryn Bristow, alongside non-executive directors Sam Squiers and Trefor Clayton.

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