TENNIS AUSTRALIA
was to receive the US National Coach of the Year award also .
The picture that grew in his mind after he joined TA as Director of Tennis was visionary . “ I saw an Australian Open that looked like one of the world ’ s best entertainment events as well as a major sporting event .” The kind of event that Disney might envisage , he thought . It ’ s not a textbook approach to management , but a logical one that has served him well , and that vision is what he has worked towards . Remember , he is persistent . “ This job is one where you cannot work in the shadows . It is very open and transparent . People read and hear about the decisions you are making .” The stresses and the pressures of the job are accentuated because of its public nature .
It helps that Australia is mad about tennis . Tennis is the number one participation sport there . The Open draws around 550 players with about 450 full-time staff and 9,000 part-time staff employed by TA during the Open . Globally , it is followed by more than a billion fans . A lot of bucks stop at the CEO ’ s desk . “ I am proud that the Australian Open is considered the most successful and biggest sporting event in Australia , and is right up there globally .” It is increasingly considered the benchmark for other events , an achievement he puts down to extraordinary teamwork . “ My job as a leader is putting a good multinational team together . I am truly proud of these people .”
Transforming the Open Let ’ s look at the facts . In Tiley ’ s four years at the helm , TA ’ s revenues have more than doubled , from AU $ 150mn to more than $ 350mn . This accelerated growth was achieved partly , he admits , by unlocking much value that had been created in previous years , but most of it has been down to a bolder style . “ We have taken some big risks because we knew there could be big rewards ,” he says .
The biggest risk was to reinvent the organisation . The first step
62 October 2017