The Australian Rugby League Commission has announced the appointment of Lorna McPherson as Chief Executive Officer of the PNG Chiefs.
McPherson has extensive commercial and sports leadership experience in PNG, having been based in the country for over 16 years.
McPherson has played an integral role in the development of Rugby League in PNG as a Director of the PNGRFL, more recently as Director of the PNG Chiefs and via senior roles with telecommunications firm Digicel Pacific. As senior vice president for Digicel, she headed Government Relations, Sales, Distribution, Retail and Marketing across PNG.
She has led strategic initiatives that integrated sport into national development. Over the last decade she led the growth of the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup, PNG’s premier rugby league competition, transforming it into a nationally unifying competition that drove community youth development and commercial value. She also played a key role in advancing the establishment of an elite women’s rugby league competition in Papua New Guinea, the Santos Cup.
Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman, Peter V'landys AM said the appointment of Ms McPherson was a crucial step in establishing the foundations of the new franchise.
"Lorna has an outstanding track record of success in business and importantly has been entrenched in PNG and directly involved with Rugby League for over 16 years.
“Securing a leader with a reputation for driving significant commercial growth across business and the elite local Rugby League competitions, along with established connections in PNG is an important step in building a strong administration for the Chiefs.”
