Extraordinary leaders sought for recognition

19 April 2018

Extraordinary leaders sought for recognition

At last year’s Wellington Sportsperson of the Year Awards, Sue Geale, General Manager of Wellington Netball, received the inaugural Trish McKelvey Leadership Award.

Supported by Outward Bound New Zealand, the new award category was coupled with the prize of an Outward Bound Professional five-day leadership course for the winner.

Added to the awards in 2017, the Trish McKelvey Leadership Award recognises extraordinary leaders who have made a difference in the sport and recreation sector.

Qualities such as developing the culture of the team they are part of, building trust and relationships, modelling the team’s values and providing clear direction and purpose are examples of the sort of skills the award looks to recognise.

Nominees for the award can be an administrator, coach, official, player, or combination of these.

Sue values the importance of sport in the community and is committed to the cause. Her field of speciality is Netball, where she plays a huge part in making this sport available across the Wellington region.

Sue never used to think of herself as a natural leader. And yet she is always finding herself being chosen for leadership roles, even while at school from being the captain of her netball team to being on the student council.

This was the same before she became the General Manager at the Netball Wellington Centre after being noticed through her volunteering efforts as a netball umpire.

Sue has now retired from being an umpire but plays a significant part in coordinating netball as a sport in the Wellington region. Large parts of her work include supporting Wellington Netball Centre’s satellite organisations and providing advice and insight to the board of directors.

Sue’s nomination for the awards in 2017 was a collective decision made by the board. Karen, her nominator said, “Sue is committed to Netball in Wellington and beyond, she’s also a role model among her staff.”

Across the Wellington Netball Centre and the region, Sue is known for being passionate and committed. She inspires her team and is always looking for new and exciting ways she can help the Wellington Netball Centre grow and thrive.

She constantly puts her team and the organisation before herself. Sue’s philosophy is, “The day I can’t add value to others, the organisation, and myself is when I have to let someone else step in with new talent and ideas.”

Beyond the 2017 Wellington Sportsperson of the Year Awards, Sue has continued to put her best foot forward. She has been involved in many organisations including Women and Leadership Forums, and the Venus Business Network.

Recently, Sue completed the Outward Bound Professional course that she won as part of the Leadership Award and says that during her time on the course she built her confidence, leadership and planning skills.

Winning the award came as a huge surprise and shock to Sue, “I never thought I would be picked! It was such an honour to be announced among other inspirational award winners and was great to see those working behind the scenes getting recognised for their hard work.”

Nominations for the Wellington Sportsperson of the Year Awards close midday, Monday 23 April. To make a nomination visit www.wellingtonsportsawards.org.nz

ENDS

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