Mark Neeld: Building Geelong's Sporting Future | Leadership, Geelong United & the Rise of the Venom

In this episode, Reyan Fernando sits down with Mark Neeld, CEO of Geelong United Basketball, to explore a remarkable leadership journey spanning elite AFL, high-performance sport, and community impact.From his years as a player, coach, and football executive to leading one of Australia's fastest-growing basketball organisations, Mark shares what it takes to build winning cultures, develop great people, and create a lasting sporting legacy.Mark takes us behind the scenes of launching the Geelong Venom WNBL team in just three months, a bold undertaking that required vision, community support, and relentless execution. He discusses the challenges of building a professional sporting club from scratch, the importance of increasing female participation in sport, and why creating pathways for women and girls remains a key focus.The conversation also explores leadership under pressure, lessons learned from his time at the Melbourne Demons, managing public scrutiny, and maintaining a high-performance mindset while staying connected to the community.Whether you're a business leader, sports fan, coach, or entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable insights into resilience, culture, leadership, and the power of bringing a community together around a shared vision.Topics covered:• Building high-performance cultures• Launching the Geelong Venom WNBL team• Leadership lessons from AFL and basketball• Community ownership and engagement in sport• Developing female participation and coaching pathways• Managing pressure, setbacks, and public scrutiny• The future of sport in GeelongA fascinating conversation with one of Geelong's most influential sporting leaders.You can connect with Reyan Fernando via ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ or his ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠.This episode was proudly brought to you by⁠⁠ ISO365 - ISO Compliance, as a Service.