Bowls SA Board welcome three new members.
Bowls SA would like to officially welcome three new members to its board as we head into 2021.
Jeff Krebbekx (board director), Karen Gatto (board director), and Kay Matthias (independent board member) have all joined the board.
Below is an overview of each of their backgrounds:
Kay spoke about her professional background to date as she joins the board.
“I am a journalist by trade. I worked in the journalism field for many years,” she said.
“For the last few years, I have been the CEO of an organisation called Rural Business Support, which provides support and assistance to farmers in financial difficulty due to drought.
“Then I retired from there and I have my own management consulting business now.
“I’m a director on quite a few boards and have been for a number of years.”
Kay said her knowledge of bowls continues to develop having been around the sport for a decade.
“I am a reasonable newcomer and have probably only been playing for 10 years or so,” she said.
“I started playing at Payneham. When I was CEO at Rural Business Support I lived in Adelaide and just came home to the farm on weekends.
“I lived close to the Payneham Bowling Club, so I started playing there, then I played a couple of years for Kensington Gardens.
“When I retired, I came home and joined the Watervale Bowling Club, where my husband was president for four or five years.”
Kay said her background and skillset made it a simple decision to apply to join the Bowls SA board.
“I am fairly experienced in sports administration, but I haven’t done much for the last few years,” she said.
“I just felt that I wanted to get back into sports administration and give back, so given my husband I’s involvement with bowls, it was a natural progression to apply for the board.
“With a combination of my experience in governance and sports administration, it was a natural fit I thought.”
Jeff steps into his new role with a lengthy history in business administration.
“My background is a general manager for professional service firms like large accounting firms,” he said.
“I have done that for over a decade.
“From an educational point of view, I have an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
“At the moment I am self-employed as a consultant and I consult with professional service firms and businesses in regards to financial strategy and operations.”
Jeff has already achieved plenty on the green in his time playing lawn bowls.
“I have played now for probably eight or nine years and am a member of the Adelaide Bowling Club,” he said.
“I have played in the SA Super League, Premier Leaguer, and I am a club champion at Adelaide.”
Jeff said he is aiming to make the most of his time on the Bowls SA board.
“My motivation was to be part of the body to make a difference to the sport going forward,” he said.
“A lot of people sit back and whinge about the sport with what’s right and what’s wrong, but no one is willing to put their hand up and do something about it.
“So, I want to put those people’s desires into actions.”
Karen’s professional history and experience are spread across several areas.
“I am now retired, but I spent more than 30 years in the Commonwealth Public Service,” she said.
“I was fortunate enough to diversify across the business’ divisions.
“I guess my strengths and a lot of my experience is in test management, so IT, human resource management, and strategic leadership.”
According to Karen, her involvement in lawn bowls came about by chance.
“I have been bowling for 11 or 12 years now,” she said.
“I started at Hindmarsh Bowling Club and I filled in for them one day because they were desperate in their bottom side for players, then I played one game and was hooked and have been bowling ever since.
“I have been in the female state squad for six years and was in the development squad just prior to that.
“I am now playing at West Lakes in their Premier One side.”
The long-term future of the sport will be at the forefront of Karen’s mind as she takes on her new role as part of the board.
“I think it is about giving back to the bowls community and contributing to a future strategic direction for the bowls community,” she said.
“It’s not just about treading water, it is about creating a future for bowls.
“We have got many challenges including loss of player numbers, especially within female ranks.
“My interest is in developing and growing the sport South Australia.
“I also have got a focus on mental health issues.
“How people in the bowls community or around the bowls community, whether it is a player, volunteer or official, how they are supported.
“Bowling clubs really wrap around and support people, so that is where my interest is as well.”
Congratulations and thank you for your commitment and support of Bowls SA, we look forward to your valued contribution over the coming year.
