Brisbane 2032 chief executive Cindy Hook will leave the Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee early next year when her four-year contract ends, Brisbane Times reported on Tuesday (13 October). The committee said an international search for her successor would start immediately.
The change comes as preparations shift from establishing the organisation and its capabilities towards operations, projects and event delivery. Hook, appointed in December 2022, said her work had included building the organisation, setting its vision and Games plan, developing its strategy and brand, and securing early commercial progress.
Brisbane Times reported that committee president Andrew Liveris credited Hook with taking the organisation beyond its start-up phase and embedding financial and governance processes. International Olympic Committee coordination commission chair Mikaela Cojuangco-Jaworski also praised the progress achieved during the longer preparation period available to Brisbane.
The organisation behind the Games
The leadership role covers the organisation responsible for staging the Games, rather than a single sporting programme. In its official description of its responsibilities, the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games lists planning, event coordination, torch relays and the opening and closing ceremonies among its duties.
Revenue raising is another part of that remit, including sponsorships, official merchandise, tickets and hospitality products. The committee also manages temporary venue infrastructure and venue operations during the Games, markets the event and recruits volunteers. Those responsibilities sit alongside its coordination of the wider network of Games partners and contributors.
Brisbane 2032 describes itself as a statutory body governed by a board led by Liveris. Its Finance and Audit Committee and People and Remuneration Committee support the board's governance work, while Hook and the executive team lead day-to-day operations. Delivery partners, including governments and local councils, have significant roles in venues, athlete villages and supporting infrastructure.
A Recent Brand Milestone
The departure announcement follows the unveiling of the Games' Olympic and Paralympic emblems. In a release dated 5 October, organisers described designs based on a pink cockatoo for the Olympics and a sulphur-crested cockatoo for the Paralympics, with Queensland's outline and Games flames incorporated into the birds' crests.
Organisers said the emblems had undergone extensive testing in Australia and overseas. They distinguish the emblems from the Games mascots, which will be revealed closer to the event. The brand launch is among the early milestones Hook highlighted as the organising committee prepares to hand its next phase of work to a new chief executive.