In front on 160 guests at the first Richmond in Business lunch for 2014, AFL boss Andrew Demetriou spoke about life in the public eye as the head of one of the world’s biggest sports leagues.

The event took place last Friday at the ME Bank Centre, with Demetriou on stage as guest speaker to discuss his triumphs and challenges as head of the AFL.

Demetriou opened up to the business-minded crowd to talk about growing up with his three brothers in a small two-bedroom house at the back of his parents’ fish and chip shop, through to his 12-year tenure as AFL CEO, and making the decision to expand the competition by adding two more teams within 12 months of each other.

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Asked about leadership, Demetriou said he had always carried his family values of hard work and respect, and found that to be a good leader, it’s important to be able to delegate to the employees around you.

Demetriou also believed that being decisive – whether the decisions were popular or not – was important to being a good leader.

During his career as AFL CEO and the AFL’s General Manager of Football Operations, Demetriou said he was fortunate enough to find great mentors and often listened to the advice and counsel of former and current chairmen of the AFL Commission Ron Evans and Mike Fitzpatrick.

Business aside, one of Demetriou’s greatest achievements was meeting his wife, Simone, after the Brownlow Medal event one year, and having four children, which he has always kept as a priority through his busy and demanding CEO schedule.

As he moves towards the end of his time as the head of the AFL, Demetriou is looking forward to bowing out of public life, and while he hasn’t made definite decisions about his professional future, he believes he’ll continue to work in a private enterprise.

Richmond in Business is a program for like-minded business people to network, connect and engage.

The next event is on Friday, August 1, with guest speaker Ahmed Fahour, the CEO and Managing Director of Australia Post.

To book, or enquire about the program, click here.