Brian Cook did not know what he wanted to do until he was in his 20s, leading him down a career path of success.
The Torquay man followed the call of Australian rules football and, close to 40 years later, has a resume full of roles across sport, business and community.
“I love seeing young people, male and female, grow into being not only good football players, but good citizens,” Mr Cook said.
“I just love continually meeting good people through footy as it’s a team game and you meet so many people who put themselves second and the team first, and that’s the nature of the industry.”
Mr Cook was recognised for his work with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) during this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
“In the industry of football, you meet great people all the time, and they help you along the journey, so I want to share it with them,” he said.
“It’s hard to explain how you feel but it’s a mixture of knowing that you’ve done some really good things in your life, but you also know that you’ve learned a lot from so many other people.”
Mr Cook’s roles in sports included chief executive positions in Western Australian Football Commission (1989-1990), West Coast Eagles (1990-1999), Geelong Football Club (1999-2021) and Carlton Football Club (since 2021).
He has also been involved with Wombat’s Wish, Deakin University, Give Where You Live, Barwon Health and Champions of Change.
