Fabian Ross to leave Hockey WA after impactful three years

Hockey WA CEO Fabian Ross will leave in April following a momentous three years for the sport in this state, including the successful retention of Australia’s high-performance program. 

An open recruitment process has begun today to find a new chief executive.

Ross has led the Hockey WA team in driving record sponsorship dollars into hockey in recent years, connecting hockey in WA with associations and media properties across Asia and renewing the sport's relationship with the State Government, leaving it in an excellent position for future growth in the state and the region. 

"Fabian has been an outstanding servant of the game," said Gary McGrath, President of Hockey WA.

"In three short years Fabian steered us from the serious impacts of the pandemic to pre-covid participation numbers.

"He has been instrumental in developing and executing a new strategic plan for hockey and, of course, in the successful bid that will see Perth Hockey Stadium remain the national home of the Olympic hockey programme for the foreseeable future – the only Olympic sport based in WA."

"We have been exceptionally grateful to benefit from his talent, passion for the game and professionalism. We’re excited to find new talent to lead us into the next phase, with an extended handover period to ensure a smooth transition."

"It’s been an absolute pleasure to lead such a standout team," said Ross.

"Hockey has long been my passion and it’s been a privilege to lead this chapter professionally too."

Hockey WA has commenced an executive search process to identify the right candidate to lead the sport into the next phase, including further Asian expansion and working with the State Government, Venues West and Hockey Australia on the construction phase of the new Perth Hockey Stadium. 

Ross will not be lost to hockey in Australia and is currently exploring opportunities that will support the growth and partnerships of the game in WA. 

He will also Chair the project steering committee to deliver the new Stadium for Hockey WA.

He maintains his diverse non-executive roles external to hockey, including Chairman of Kailis Holdings, and as a member of the WAIS board.