The Western Bulldogs Football Club is delighted to announce that St Kilda Football Club Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Ameet Bains will be succeeding Gary Kent as the Club’s new CEO for season 2018.

The Club expects Bains to start his new position in December, subject to completing certain duties with St. Kilda.

Bains has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Monash University as well as a Bachelor of Business (Banking & Finance).

He worked for five years as a Lawyer at leading law firm Minter Ellison and also worked as Head of the Legal Department at Toyota Australia.

Bains joined the St Kilda Football Club in January 2011 as the club’s GM of Player List and Legal Affairs, and has subsequently progressed to his current role there as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel.

Bains was the unanimous choice of the Board’s nominations sub-committee, comprising Peter Gordon, Vice President Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Fiona McGauchie and Mark Evans, and was also subsequently unanimously endorsed by the Club’s other directors, including retiring executive director, Gary Kent.

“We had a broad range of well-credentialled candidates for the position, both from inside the AFL industry and from a range of other professions.  I’d like to thank them all for their interest,” said Bulldogs’ President Peter Gordon.

“We think that Ameet is ideally suited to our Club’s next stage of development, with his mix of legal, commercial, projects and football expertise.”

Bains said: “I am both honoured and humbled to be appointed as the Club’s CEO.

“The Club is well-positioned given its recent premiership success and accompanying commercial growth.

“I look forward to working with a very talented team in building upon this success.”