Sport NSW appoints Ellie Laing-Southwood as new CEO

Sport NSW is pleased to announce the appointment of Ellie Laing-Southwood as its new Chief Executive Officer, following a competitive four-stage recruitment process.

Ellie will commence in the role on Monday 12 October, following the departure of current CEO Stuart Hodge on Friday 9 October.

Ellie is well known to the Sport NSW community, having served on the Sport NSW Board since 2021, most recently as Deputy Chair.

During the CEO recruitment process, Ellie took a leave of absence from the Board to ensure a fair and equitable process. She has now resigned from the Board ahead of commencing as CEO. The recruitment process attracted almost 50 applicants and involved four stages, including presentations from final-round candidates. The Sport NSW Board thanked the recruitment committee for the significant time and commitment they contributed throughout the process.

Ellie brings extensive experience across sport, government, communications, media and stakeholder engagement. Her professional background includes senior executive roles with the Australian Olympic Committee and Property Council of Australia, as well as serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the NSW Parliament and Director of Communications for the NSW Deputy Premier.

Ellie's strategic leadership, understanding of the NSW sporting landscape and experience across government, media and stakeholder engagement will support Sport NSW's ongoing work to represent its members and strengthen the voice of sport and active recreation across NSW.

The Sport NSW Board and staff look forward to welcoming Ellie to the role and supporting a seamless transition following Stuart Hodge's departure.