The AFL is pleased to announce TPP Audit & Club Soft Cap Manager, Jennifer Macmillan, has been awarded the 2023 Ray Gunston Scholarship.
2023 marks the second year the annual Ray Gunston Scholarship has been awarded in honour of much-loved AFL executive, friend and mentor, Ray Gunston who sadly passed away in 2022.
Gunston had filled a range of senior roles across football, as well as a previous outstanding career in business life. Ray was an extremely valued member of the AFL, for both his ability to lead and complete major projects, and for his strong values and ethical framework in how he conducted himself.
The Ray Gunston Scholarship was open to highly talented middle to senior leaders within the AFL who have the aspiration and the potential to progress to an AFL or Club Executive role.
Joining the AFL in 2018, Jen oversees policy and compliance for the AFL and AFLW salary caps and football department expenditure limits.
During her time, Jen has modernised the processes and structures associated with salary cap compliance, including reforms to the salary cap rules.
With over 19 years’ experience working as a finance and audit professional, Jen is a highly regarded people leader and is known for her excellent subject matter knowledge, and ability to innovate.
AFL Executive General Manager People Sarah Fair congratulated Jen.
“We received some truly outstanding applications right across our team at AFL and it was a difficult decision for the AFL Executive to make.
“Jen is someone who truly embodies the traits of Ray – a role model of our values, respected by her peers, and always showing a strong determination and persistence to learn and grow while delivering great outcomes for the AFL,” Ms. Fair said.
“On behalf of the AFL, I congratulate Jen on being the well-deserved recipient of the 2023 Ray Gunston Scholarship.”
Mandy Gunston on behalf of the family was pleased to award the Ray Gunston Scholarship to Jen.
“Ray adored the AFL industry and loved supporting the next generation, taking a deep and genuine interest in the development and career progression of talented leaders,” Mandy said.
“I’m so pleased for Jen to be recognised with this award and know Ray would be proud to have a scholarship in his honour that rewards people for their contribution to football.”
Jen said she was honoured to receive the award and thanked those around her who have supported her professional career.
“I was lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Ray during my time at the AFL and I’m privileged to be named the 2023 Ray Gunston Scholarship winner in honour of him.
“Ray was not only terrific at what he did but was a fantastic leader and wonderful person. Ray was also a big supporter of women in the industry, so I’m proud to be the first woman to win this award and represent women in the football industry who work in some of the areas which have been traditionally male dominated.
“I’d like to thank the AFL for this award and look forward to taking the opportunities afforded from the scholarship to enhance my own contribution to football through conducting an international study tour to meet with other elite sporting codes and bring back new insights to our game and provide support to others in this field the way Ray did.”
Jen will receive $20,000 to invest in further professional development.
About Ray Gunston
At the AFL, Ray Gunston worked as CFO and General Manager of Infrastructure, Major Projects and Investment, after previously having served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Essendon Football Club. At league headquarters, he chaired the AFL Investment committee, overseen all non-operational investments and negotiations and overseen the capital management and structuring of the AFL balance sheet.
Before working in football, his many senior roles had included Chief Financial Officer of the Tatts Group, executive roles with Westpac, Price Waterhouse, Aluminium Smelters of Victoria, Southern Cross Austereo and the Victorian Government. He was a non-executive director and Chairman of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, Hotel Property Investments and Melbourne Stadiums Limited. He was also a non-executive director of AFL Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades.
Ray played a leading role in the transformation of the privately owned Tattersall’s into the publicly listed Tatts Group as an ASX 100 listed national and global company, followed by initiating and implementing the $4 billion merger of Tatts and UNITAB. He also played a lead executive role in acquisitions for the Tatts Group.
While son Jack has carved out an exceptional AFL career, Ray was an outstanding player with Strathmore in the EDFL for the majority of his career and for three years with Brunswick in the VFA (1979-81). He began with Strathmore in 1967 at junior level, and was a member of the 1984 premiership team, and was honoured with Life Membership in 1989, with his parents also being life members at the club.
A dedicated club man, Ray said at the time, “I was very proud and honoured to have received Life Membership in 1989 from the Club that had honoured both my parents previously with Life Memberships given their dedication and love for the Club and the people they enjoyed being with.”
