Early morning sunshine greeted Kleenheat business clients recently treated to a long table leadership breakfast at the WACA Ground, proudly supported by the Perth Scorchers.

Local business leaders enjoyed exclusive access to WA’s home of cricket, complete with leadership insights from a discussion panel featuring WACA CEO Christina Matthews, women’s Head Coach Lisa Keightley and Perth Scorchers player Megan Banting.

Drawing on their diverse professional experience across business and sport, panel members offered their thoughts on  leadership on and off the field – with Matthews commencing proceedings by emphasising the value of strong leadership on both sides of the fence.

“Everything I do in business today has come from my experience as an athlete and being part of a team,” Matthews said.

As one of only three women in a CEO position at a first-class cricket organisation, she emphasised the importance of determination and challenging the status quo – drawing on learnings from her own professional journey across senior roles with Women’s Cricket Australia, Women’s Hockey Australia and the Victorian Football Association.

“Having worked in sports administration for over 30 years, it’s been my eternal frustration that we have expectations of sporting teams around culture, behaviour and success which aren’t expected of the off-field team that supports them. So I’ve always been determined to bring my learnings as a player to the business world,” Matthews added.

Scorchers’ up-and-coming wicketkeeper Banting outlined her experiences as an athlete climbing the ranks of women’s cricket, her newfound leadership role and helping inspire the next generation of female athletes.

“To be in women’s sport at the moment is very exciting and with the funding and resources now behind us, the opportunities are endless,” she said.

“As athletes we now have to think about how we present ourselves as leaders in society, because we’ve become role models and can highlight future opportunities for young girls.”

Keightley also shared her views on the importance of good leadership in encouraging high performance and professionalism within the Scorchers playing group as they continue their transition to full-time athletes.

A handy local partnership

This year marks Kleenheat’s second season as Principal Partner of the women’s Perth Scorchers – a relationship built on our shared commitment to the ongoing success of women’s cricket in our home state.

For us, partnering with the Perth Scorchers is a natural fit: two proud WA brands that don’t mind some healthy competition and share an ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The Scorchers are on a mission to establish cricket as a sport for all Australians, while we continue our efforts to drive diversity in the workplace and grow leadership opportunities for women.

Together we’re helping build equality on and off the field, encouraging the development of women’s cricket across WA and helping inspire the next generation of sporting and local business leaders.