Geoff Smith

Chairman

Geoff has practiced as a lawyer in the city of Gold Coast since January 1978, as partner in a major Gold Coast Law Firm, an in-house corporate lawyer for one of Australia’s largest privately owned companies and in July 2020 established his own legal practice. He has acquired a wealth of experience ranging from major commercial litigation, working on significant resource projects, intellectual property law and startups companies in innovation.

Geoff’s new practice focuses on special projects outside mainstream law and has a long history supporting Gold Coast community organizations. He currently sits on the board of the Gold Coast Eisteddfod, Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame and Regional Development Australia. He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Notary Public.

He was one of the 5 original businessmen who established the Gold Coast NRL Bid Team in 1999 which eventually secured an NRL Licence for the Gold Coast in 2005 and a $270m Cbus stadium.

 In 2015, Geoff along with 10 other Gold Coast business leaders incorporated a non-for-profit company Sports Gold Coast Ltd (SGC)as a vehicle for Gold Coast business to support, develop and promote Sport in the city of Gold Coast in collaboration with council, the education sector and sporting groups. He has been Chair of SGC since its incorporation.

Garry Goodman 

Garry Goodman, an eminent figure in the dynamic Gold Coast business landscape, is actively moulding the future of sports within the region. His entrepreneurial odyssey embarked with the establishment of the National Management Group, a venture that has since blossomed into the central pillar of the thriving Eximm Group. Under Garry’s leadership, Eximm Group has flourished, employing a workforce of over 200 professionals. This diverse conglomerate encompasses a wide-ranging portfolio of services, including Integrated Property Maintenance, Security Services, Sports Services, Communications, Fire Protection, Private Investigation, Metal Fabrication, Legal expertise, and various other indispensable offerings.

In a remarkable expansion of his pursuits, Garry has recently launched Eximm Sport, a sports management company focused on various aspects of the sports industry. 

Beyond his entrepreneurial achievements, Garry’s commitment to the sporting community is palpable. He has played a pivotal role in establishing multiple grassroots community clubs and currently is the Head of Women’s Football at the Broadbeach Cats where he has played a pivotal role in the development and growth of women’s football within the club.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the world of sports, Garry has been honoured with induction as a director of the Disability Sport Australia board, exemplifying his commitment to promoting inclusivity in sports. Additionally, he serves as a valued member of the board of the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame, further solidifying his influence on the local sporting landscape.

MATT BURGESS

Matt Burgess is one of the most experienced professional action sports executives in the world. His unique experience across professional and amateur action and lifestyle sports has seen him advise and lead sports, teams, and athletes across the globe, in particular the US and Australia, including Head of Integrity and acting General Counsel for World Surf League.

Matt has practiced in sports and entertainment law for more than 16 years representing clients of all sizes and types in this dynamic industry. Recent work includes drafting the “Lifestyle and Action Sports Hub Strategy Paper for the 2032 Olympics in South-East Queensland” on behalf of the Queensland Academy of Sport and brokering commercial and operational opportunities for the WPGA Tour of Australia and PGA Tour of Australia (Golf).

Matt’s legal expertise Includes lead counsel on multi-jurisdictional content/broadcast deals for global rights holders, production rights and funding deals, full event diligence over multiple territories, talent CBA negotiation, representation for brands and sport’s governing bodies and structuring of international networks of companies to execute global strategy or operations.

 He has held multiple leadership and executive positions including CEO for Loyals Rugby (USA), Hamptons Life (Syd), strategic lead for clients like Bond University and Usher Cup and been responsible for commercial strategy for breakaway projects like The Athena (Golf) and Urban Sport Fest (Action Sport) each with international market reach and live broadcast distribution with Fox Sports and /Kayo. He holds current Board roles with Global Action Sports Foundation in California, Sports Gold Coast, Tweed Seagulls and is Chair of Bowls Australia. He also sits as Chair of the High-Performance Committee for Skateboarding in Australia.

Tony Mullen

Tony Mullen is senior executive with over 20 years’ experience in the sports, events and entertainment industries. 

 As Chief Operating Officer of Events Management Queensland, Tony transformed two community events into world class festivals of sport. He developed the Gold Coast Marathon into Australia’s first World Athletics Gold Label race and built a culture focussed on enabling athletes to achieve their personal best as well as providing pathways for Australian elite athletes to compete internationally. Tony also built the Pan Pacific Masters Games into the world’s biggest biennial masters games. This multi-sport event features over 16,000 athletes in 40 sports and is held exclusively at Gold Coast’s world class sporting facilities. These two events collectively generate over $60 million in economic activity and 200,000 room nights for the Gold Coast. 

 Tony is currently consulting with Queensland’s leading event management and live production team, the Eventco Group. This business provides production management for international music acts, live broadcast for events and precinct management for sports. Tony was previously involved in the sporting delivery of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games marathon and race walk events. He has also contributed to the success of SportsFest (part of SportsAccord) and has been a member of the International Jury of Appeal for the Singapore Marathon. 

 Tony holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting/Marketing), is a member of the Certified Practising Accountants of Australia and has a MBA from the University of Cambridge. His Cambridge dissertation evaluated governance structures in world sporting organisations. 

 Tony is a Director and Company Secretary of Sports Gold Coast.  

Joanne Bergamin

Joanne Bergamin is the Communications and Sustainability Director of QEM Limited, an emerging Queensland critical minerals ASX listed company. She is the founder and head of the Women In Mining And Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) Chapter on the Gold Coast, and a member of the QRC’s Public Affairs and Community Engagement Committee. 

Joanne was born and bred on the Gold Coast and heavily involved in the local tennis circuit. She moved to Italy in 2007, living and working in Rome and the Vatican for thirteen years, including as a journalist for the Pope’s newspaper. Joanne explored, photographed and wrote about her adopted countries, and she is published in various online and print publications. 

Prior to moving to Rome, Joanne worked in marketing and PR in the mining and energy sector in Australia and Thailand. She holds Bachelors of Arts and Commerce, and an MBA, all awarded by the University of Queensland where she also completed a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Energy in 2022.

Trina Hockley AM

Trina Hockley AM was one of Sports Gold Coasts first Foundation Members and served as a Director on the board of Sports Gold Coast from 18 June 2015 to 1 September 2023.

Trina’s business interests are located on the both the Gold and Sunshine Coasts and Wollongong. Highly sought after for both her business and governance acumen, she is on the board of TAFE Qld, is the past Chair and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Gold Coast committee. She is also Chair of Arcadia College, Ohana for Youth and the Sport Academy.  Trina co- founded Women in Power to mentor other women and is a member of the Qld Government’s Mentoring for Growth.

Trina’s volunteering has seen accolades as an Outstanding Volunteer to the Indigenous Community and has received a 20 year Leadership Award from the City of Gold Coast. She is an avid advocate for youth education and development and Gold Coast sport and business.