ACA Welcomes Clea Smith as Director

Former Australian cricketer, Clea Smith (pictured right), has joined the Australian Cricketers’ Association Board as an Appointed Director for a three-year term, replacing Neil Maxwell who has stepped down as part of a Board rotation.

Smith was formally appointed to the Board at the ACA Annual General Meeting on Tuesday night, and joins Lisa Sthalekar and Janet Torney as Appointed Directors.

“The ACA has an important job as the voice of Australia’s professional cricketers. I have been a proud member of the ACA for nearly 15 years, and am truly honoured to be a voice at a Board level as well,” said Smith.

Since retiring from a 14-year cricket career in 2012, Smith has held many leadership roles and is currently the CEO of The Mind Room, a community of psychologists, wellbeing and performance professionals.

Smith holds an MBA and was previously a General Manager at the ACA, where she played a leading role in player mental health and wellbeing, gender equity, past player programs, and was involved in the 2017 MOU negotiation.

She was also a member of the inaugural Grassroots Cricket Fund Committee which is responsible for investing $30 million from Australian cricketers back into the game at a community level.

“Clea is well known to the ACA and is highly regarded by our playing group. As the CEO of The Mind Room, her skills and expertise, especially in the areas of player mental health and wellbeing, will be a very timely addition to our Board given the challenges that currently face contemporary athletes,” says Dyer.

As well as welcoming Smith, Dyer expressed his gratitude for the enormous role Maxwell (pictured below) has made to the ACA since 2011.

“I want to thank Neil for his enormous contribution to the ACA, which has seen him champion many important issues on behalf of our players – often in the trenches when called upon, including in a very hands-on way in the MOU negotiations in 2017.

“‘Maxi’ has a huge passion for the game and is one of the leading advocates for the ongoing strength and importance of our State competitions. He has also provided the ACA with incredible commercial acumen, helping us imagine what the ACA may look like in the future. I am pleased to say that he will maintain an involvement in the ACA and will step onto our soon to be created Cricket Committee, which we will get up and running in the new year.” 

Smith’s inclusion in the Board now sees the ACA Board equally represented by men and women and reflects the organisation’s continued progress towards gender equity in cricket.

The ACA Board is:

Greg Dyer (Chair)

Shane Watson (President)

Kristen Beams

Pat Cummins

Aaron Finch

Alyssa Healy

Moises Henriques

Clea Smith

Lisa Sthalekar

Janet Torney