Sport has the power to change the world – PWN with Peta Bistany ('86)

We often talk about the lifelong connections born from school days, and it was powerfully demonstrated at the latest PWN breakfast when tables of ’86 alumni came to support guest speaker Peta Bistany (nee Dee), who despite residing in London for much of her professional life has maintained dear and enduring friendships with her cohort.

“There is something magical in our cohort; I have lived abroad for 30 years, and they are still my besties,” she said emotionally.

Walking around the school grounds prior to her address, Peta said so much had changed but what hadn’t changed was the St Margaret’s spirit.

“I really feel that today,’ she said. 

Peta said she loved her school days, and that the camaraderie, pressure and excitement of sport had always been her thing.

“I owe a lot to Miss Surtees and Miss Dyason, our PE teachers, who were so inspiring and made it fun and really something to care about.

“I loved painting my face bottle green for Milton, losing my voice on sports days, and living the losses and the wins at GPS competitions,” she said.

At The University of Queensland, Peta embraced everything it had to offer. She studied Psychology and Human Movement Studies, and although neither led exactly to her ultimate career path, those learnings were hugely valuable in helping her to understand people, performance and behaviour, and an example to all that you need not be narrowly defined by your original study path. 

Following graduation and sampling a few career options, a stint in major event planning and the lure of the very Australian rite of passage of a two-year working holiday visa abroad led her to London and campaigning very hard for a job that didn’t exist in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

With dogged persistence, she secured her first business card – Event Manager 1999 Cricket World Cup.

“My Cricket World Cup experience was a total baptism of fire,” she confessed, “but it’s those challenges in life which really contribute to shaping a person and establishing resilience and ways of working.”

Peta said she made endless decisions way beyond her pay grade and certainly beyond her experience but learnt really quickly, and those lessons have always stuck with her.

From cricket she moved to football, landing a role in the English FA, devising and delivering a plan about what to do and where to play England’s international matches at a time when the Old Wembley Stadium was being pulled down and a new one built.

Peta went on to join the Premier League as a member of the executive team selling, marketing, operating and regulating the biggest and richest football league in the world. 

Peta shared some principles the executive team adhered to which could apply to a lot of different sectors:

1. Certainty and quality of your product: broadcasters and fans know what they are getting
2. Fair distribution of revenue to shareholders. To keep things genuinely competitive, the champion club only received about 1.6 times more than the bottom club, allowing any match to be a bit of an unknown quantity
3. Strong governance: all 20 clubs had equally weighted votes
4. Global focus: the Premier League is a global entertainment product, with the Premier League trophy seen as Britain’s greatest export – beating the royal family and the BBC!
5. Doing the right thing. The Premier League does not post a profit – all its earnings are distributed. For every pound it brings in, 82% goes to the shareholding clubs who reinvest in players and stadiums to keep it going, 2 to 3% goes on operating costs, and 15% of central revenue is given away to support lower league football community programs – around $550M pounds per annum.

The Premier League pulled off somewhat of a miracle by completing the season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In otherwise dark times, sport gave people hope, entertainment and something to look forward too,” Peta said.

Peta said that she is often asked if it was a challenging working environment given it was male dominated, to which she always answers ‘no’.

“A different approach can often work to our advantage – less confrontation, more persuasion and trust building, respect and kindness backed by a steely determination are a bit underrated, I think. Of course, I support women in business and in sport, but personally, I have never focused on my gender, just on doing the best job.”

Peta left the audience with some wise principles she applies to her work and her life.

1. Put your head down and do the best you can – not just in the big moments but in the small ones as well. Excellence in the mundane builds excellence in the meaningful.
2. Be up and be up for anything – be curious and say yes to surprise opportunities that you might otherwise miss.
3. Emulate the best bits in the best people.
4. Don’t be late and don’t be a [fool] (if you want the real quote – google Dame Helen Mirren’s mantra!)

On the screen behind Peta throughout her speech was a quote from Nelson Mandela, the sentiment of which is undoubtedly reflected in Peta’s life story to date: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”

She finished with another favourite quote from Mandela, particularly addressing the students in the room.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Per Volar Sunata

Thank you to our PWN sponsors, Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners, Associate Sponsor: Wolff Coffee Roasters, Supporting Sponsors: Clear Insurance, The Bathhouse Group and Resource Innovations.

We also thank our PWN 2 Student Table Sponsors: NumberWorks'nWords Clayfield and Westpac, and Table Sponsors: Pitcher Partners, Westpac, EY, Morgans Financial Limited, Shannon Clark Tuhtan and Rochele.