Sport NSW Appoints Ellie Laing-Southwood as New Chief Executive Officer

Sport NSW has officially announced the appointment of Ellie Laing-Southwood as its new CEO following a rigorous, four-stage recruitment process that attracted nearly fifty high-calibre applicants from across the country.

Laing-Southwood is scheduled to formally commence in the executive position on Monday, 12 October, directly succeeding outgoing CEO Stuart Hodge, who concludes his tenure on Friday, 9 October.

Laing-Southwood is well-regarded within the New South Wales sporting community, having served on the Sport NSW Board since 2021, most recently holding the leadership position of Deputy Chair.

Ellie Laing-Southwood brings a wealth of senior executive expertise spanning sports administration, public policy, strategic communications, media relations, and multi-stakeholder engagement. Her distinguished professional background includes high-profile leadership roles with the Australian Olympic Committee and the Property Council of Australia.

Furthermore, her deep familiarity with legislative and executive operations is reinforced by her prior professional experience serving as deputy chief of staff to the speaker of the NSW Parliament and Director of Communications for the NSW Deputy Premier. 

The appointment arrives at an important time as Sport NSW continues to amplify its advocacy efforts, representing member organisations and strengthening the unified voice of sport and active recreation across New South Wales.

The leadership transition is expected to be entirely seamless, supported collaboratively by the Sport NSW Board and administrative staff as Stuart Hodge departs after a successful tenure.

To maintain absolute fairness and procedural integrity throughout the executive search, she took a formal leave of absence from the board during the recruitment process and has now completely resigned from her directorial post ahead of stepping into the chief executive role.

The selection process involved extensive candidate evaluations and strategic presentations, highlighting the board’s commitment to securing leadership capable of navigating the complex commercial, operational, and governmental intersections of the state’s sports sector.

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