Greg Swann (born 1962) is an Australian Football League (AFL)

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

of the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

, an Australian rules football club based in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

competing in the Australian Football League. He has been in the role since July 2014.

Administration career

From 1995 until 1998, he was the president of

VFA/VFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...

club Williamstown, presiding over the club when the VSFL attempted to force the club into a merger with

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham Local government areas of Victoria, local government a ...

at the end of 1995; he had previously played about 100 games for Williamstown during the 1980s.

Collingwood Football Club

Swann was previously Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Collingwood Football Club from 1999 until 2007. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Collingwood, oversaw improved on-field results after lifting Collingwood up from the bottom of the ladder, the previous years, by being a strong supporter of club president

Eddie McGuire Edward Joseph McGuire AM (born 29 October 1964) is an Australian television presenter, journalist and Australian Football League commentator. He is also an occasional '' Herald Sun'' newspaper columnist. He hosts Channel Nine’s Millionai ...

, club senior coach

Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Malthou ...

and club captain

Nathan Buckley Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator. He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising S ...

. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Collingwood Football Club, also oversaw Collingwood's two grand final losses in the 2002 Grand Final and 2003 Grand Final, both times to

. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Collingwood in the off-field position area, also oversaw the development and construction of the club's new training and administrative facilities at the

Lexus Centre The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre (originally known as the Swimming and Diving Stadium and now known commercially as the AIA Vitality Centre) is a sports administration and training facility located in the Melbourne Sports and Enter ...

and

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...

in 2004. On 23 March 2007, Swann stepped down as CEO of Collingwood Football Club.

Carlton Football Club

Swann was also previously the CEO of

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...

. On 23 March 2007, former Carlton Football Club CEO Michael Malouf stood down and it was announced that Swann would be Malouf's immediate replacement. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Carlton, oversaw the trade of

Chris Judd Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Widely regarded as one of the bes ...

from

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

to Carlton. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Carlton also oversaw the club prosper in the on and off field performances. Off the field, Swann witnessed the club's membership increase with the total revenue of the club that also increased from $18 million in 2006 to $57 million in 2013, while Carlton’s historical debt was also significantly reduced. Under Swann’s guidance, Carlton was also able to secure long-term deals with key major sponsors and build strong relationships with global brands including Hyundai,

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and

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. Furthermore, Swann led the way in the redevelopment of the $18 million training facility that opened at

Visy Park Princes Park (or Carlton Recreation Ground, currently known by its sponsored name Ikon Park) is an Australian rules football ground located inside the wider Princes Park in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton North. It is a historic venue, ...

in 2010, working closely with federal, state and local governments, along with the AFL, to deliver a world-class training and administration facility. The on-field performance also witnessed successful results for the club where under Swann’s leadership as CEO, after finishing at second from the bottom of the ladder in 2007, Carlton managed to play finals in four out of five seasons in his tenure. Swann served as CEO of Carlton until 22 June 2014, electing to step down at the same time as club president Stephen Kernahan handed over his position to Mark LoGiudice.

Brisbane Lions

In July 2014, Swann was appointed CEO of

. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Brisbane Lions has overseen the period at the club, where the Lions had dark periods where there was poor-on field performance and financially off-field struggles as well. The club then had to keep going to the AFL to get additional funding. The situation at the club, then slowly turned around with improved successful on-field results and a return to a stable position off-field. Swann in his tenure as CEO of Brisbane Lions has also overseen the development and construction of the club's new training and administrative facility at

The Reserve, Springfield Springfield Central Stadium (also known by naming rights sponsorship as Brighton Homes Arena and colloquially as The Reserve) is an Australian rules football venue located in the Ipswich, Queensland suburb of Springfield, approximately 30 ...

Personal life

He attended Wesley College (Melbourne, Australia).

References

External links

Official Website of the Carlton Football Club

Profile from Blueseum
1962 births Living people Businesspeople from Melbourne Carlton Football Club administrators Collingwood Football Club administrators Williamstown Football Club players Australian chief executives People educated at Wesley College (Victoria) {{AFL-bio-1960s-stub