VenuesWest welcomes new Chair and new board member

Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman has welcomed Mary Anne Stephens to the position of Chair, as well as incoming board member Gary Dreibergs.

Mrs Stephens has served on the board since 2015, bringing over 25 years' experience in finance and operational roles both in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors, and key strengths in finance, risk and governance. She has spent the past 13 years of her career in senior roles also focusing on strategy, leadership and business intelligence. 

Mr Dreibergs has 40 years' experience with the WA Police Force, serving as Deputy Commissioner for seven years. He established Operation Tide, delivering the WA Police emergency COVID-19 pandemic response. During this time, he was instrumental in ensuring sport continued safely in WA, including major sporting events such as the AFL Grand Final and Bledisloe Cup. 

Minister Templeman has thanked departing long-serving board member and former Chair Graham Goerke for his outstanding contribution during 15 years of dedicated service.

Mr Goerke joined the VenuesWest board in March 2007 and has served as Chair over the past four years. During his time, Mr Goerke oversaw a period of significant growth within the portfolio, growing from four venues to 13, including Optus Stadium, RAC Arena and HBF Park. Annual patronage increased from 2 million to over 6 million and asset value increased from $108 million in 2007 to $1.7 billion in 2022. 

Mrs Stephens is VenuesWest's first female Chair with her appointment commencing on 1 July 2022 through to 30 October 2024. Mr Dreibergs' appointment is for a term of 2 years, starting 1 July 2022 and ending 30 June 2024.

The VenuesWest board also includes Michelle Hoad, Donna Oxenham, Kaylene Gulich PSM, Priya Cooper OAM, Scott Henderson, Chris Massey and Guy Houston, and is proudly diverse and gender balanced.