Gillon McLachlan is the Australian Football League’s (AFL) chief executive officer who was appointed to the role in 2014, succeeding Andrew Demetriou, having previously served as his deputy, and will serve until the end of the 2023 season.
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Personal Life and Career
The 1993 born, McLachlan, was raised on the “Rosebank” family farm in Mount Pleasant, South Australia. His parents are Sylvia and Angus, who played first class cricket in the past.
After finishing secondary school as a boarder at St Peter’s College, Adelaide, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Adelaide in 1995 and a Bachelor of Laws (Honors) degree from the University of Melbourne in 1996, where he resided at Trinity College. Later, he finished Stanford University’s Senior Executive Program.
McLachlan represented the now-defunct Pleasant Valley team in the Hills Football League Colts tournament while playing Australian football. He served as the club’s ruckman from 1994 to 2003, served as captain from 2000 to 2002, won the C. W. McLeod Trophy for best-and-fairest in 2000, served on the committee, and was elected a life member in 2003.
McLachlan joined Accenture as a management consultant after graduating from college. CEO Wayne Jackson hired him as a strategy consultant for the AFL in 2000. He was appointed General Manager of Commercial Operations in 2003, and in 2008, he became Chief Operating Officer.
Following his prior rejection of the CEO roles at the National Rugby League and Liverpool F.C., McLachlan was appointed Deputy CEO of the AFL in December 2012 and replaced Andrew Demetriou as CEO on April 30, 2014.
McLachlan declared in April 2022 that he would leave his position as CEO of the AFL at the conclusion of the 2022 AFL season. His employment was extended till the end of the 2023 campaign because the hiring of his successor took longer than anticipated. He will be succeeded by Andrew Dillon.
How Tall is the AFL CEO: Gillon McLachlan
Gillon stands at 183 centimeters tall.