15 December 2023 | tennis.com.au

A highly-credentialled new director has been appointed and two returned to the Tennis Australia Board at their Annual General Meeting in Melbourne this week.

Bain & Company Partner Chris Harrop is the new face on the Tennis Australia Board with Dan Bisa (ACT) and Peter Robertson (Qld) returning for a third term. Janice Van Reyk is stepping off after a six-year stint.

Reflecting on a successful year for the organisation Tennis Australia Chair Jayne Hrdlicka told Members that it was the continued strength of participation numbers that stood out.

“Looking back on the past 12 months, we have experienced a seven per cent increase in the number of kids playing tennis while also managing to maintain the significant gains in the number of adults who returned to the sport during Covid,” Ms Hrdlicka said.

“The Australian Open smashed all records with more than 900,000 people through the gates over the three-weeks. This remarkable bounce-back was a tremendous result but we remain committed and importantly well-planned in our bid to maintain a strong financial position upon which to drive further investment into both the Australian Open and the sport’s continued growth.

Ms Hrdlicka also took the opportunity to thank retiring Board Director Janice van Reyk for her service.

“I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the commitment of retiring Board Director Janice van Reyk. Janice joined the Board in 2017 and served as the Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee as well as the Tennis Australia representative on the Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust.”

Chris Harrop, MBA (Hons), BCom (Hons)
A lifelong tennis fan, Mr Harrop is a highly experienced strategy advisor who has worked for global strategy consulting firm Bain & Company for more than 30 years in Australia, the US and UK. He has specialised in growth strategy, customer experience design and change management, and worked across a wide array of industries with a focus on consumer products and services. He led Bain’s Telecom, Media and Technology practice across the Asia Pacific region for seven years and served on Bain’s global board of directors for six years. Before joining Bain, he held sales and marketing roles with IBM, NCR and Adidas. A passionate advocate for early childhood development, Mr Harrop is a non-executive director at Social Ventures Australia and Goodstart Early Learning. He also co-founded Restacking the Odds, an initiative helping young children experiencing disadvantage.

Dan Bisa, BA Economics (Hons), MBA
Tennis Australia Director since 2019
Mr Bisa has extensive experience in property development, construction, hospitality and financial services industries. He has been the Managing Director of Bisa Property since 1999, developing landmark projects in NSW, Qld and the ACT. He is also Managing Director of Bisa Hotels, overseeing operations of award-winning hospitality venues in the ACT, and has experience in financial markets. Prior to his appointment to the Tennis Australia Board, Mr Bisa served as the President of Tennis ACT from 2015 to 2019 and had been a non-executive director since 2012. During this period Mr Bisa oversaw the physical and financial transformation of the ACT International Tennis Centre, increased grassroots participation in the sport, as well as promoting and supporting flagship international competitions in the region. Mr Bisa, a lifelong tennis lover, is father to two enthusiastic junior players.

Peter Robertson, B. App Science (Maths), MAICD
Tennis Australia Director since 2017
Mr Robertson combines his broad experience in innovation and entrepreneurship as well as sport governance expertise with a lifelong connection to tennis. He began playing junior tennis on the Sunshine Coast and represented the region at both junior and senior level. He was a committed fixture player in both regional and metro zones, and regularly competed in tournaments and events throughout Qld, NSW and the USA. With a passion for the game and the role that sport can play in building community, Mr Robertson served as a Tennis Queensland Director from 2010 to 2017. In addition to his family interests, he acts as a director of Kawana Holdings, Golf Central BNE, Sleepy’s and EC Partners.

The Tennis Australia Board comprises:

• Jayne Hrdlicka, Chair
• Dan Bisa
• Graham Bradley AM
• Chris Harrop
• Mark Da Silva
• Diane Grady AO
• Greg Hutchinson
• Elizabeth Minogue
• Peter Robertson