Cindy Hook, a US businesswoman who formerly served as chief executive of Deloitte Asia Pacific, has been appointed chief executive of the organising committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.
Hook, who will officially take up the role in mid-February, said her main priority will be to ensure the Games are cost-neutral.
She stepped down from her role at Deloitte Asia Pacific in May after serving as chief executive of the division since September 2018. Hook previously spent nine and a half years at Deloitte Australia, including over three years as chief executive, and 15 years working at Deloitte’s US office as an audit senior manager and audit partner.
Her appointment as chief executive of Brisbane 2032 comes after Andrew Liveris was named president of the organising committee in April. Liveris is chairman of Lucid Motors and Blackrock Long Term Private Capital, and the former chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical Company.
Liveris said that Hook was selected from more than 50 applicants around the world. Hook said the chance to lead the Olympics is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.
“I honestly thought I was retiring from the corporate world back in June … but when an opportunity like this gets presented to you … the more I read and learned about the possibilities here, the more excited I got,” she said, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.
“In my prior role, leading Deloitte, I was in Brisbane very regularly … and I’m really excited to make this my new home.”
Discussing budget plans for the Games, Hook added: “Today, we’re really a start-up. We’re basically forming a business and we’ve got to set the foundations that will serve us well for the next 10 years.
“I’m an auditor by background and an accounting graduate – so I’ve got that at my core. In business, to balance a budget you have to make choices, which means you can’t do everything you want … we’re going to figure out how much money we can bring in … and then we are going to live within our means.”
Brisbane was announced as the host of the 2032 Games in July last year as the International Olympic Committee stepped away from the traditional contests for the hosting rights.
It will mark the third time Australia has hosted the Olympics, following on from Sydney in 2000 and Melbourne in 1956.
