Australian Ron Zubrik global leader of KPMG’s Sports practice
Professional services firm KPMG has overhauled its sports practice leadership, with Australia-based consultants Ron Zubrik and Chad Gardiner appointed as respective global and APAC heads.
Brisbane-based KPMG management consulting partner Ron Zubrik has been appointed to lead the Big Four professional services firm’s global sports practice, which includes more than 50 partners and close to 1,000 professionals worldwide from a variety of disciplines.
Zubrik has most recently served as national lead partner for Sport, Major Venues & Events, and as KPMG’s Aged Care lead for Queensland.
According to his KPMG bio, Zubrik serves both public and private sector clients, and specialises in undertaking business and operational reviews, feasibility studies, business cases, cost benefit analysis, economic and social impact assessments, program evaluations, market research and demand forecasting, and business and strategic planning. He has been with KPMG since at least 2005.
“I’m delighted to be appointed as Global Sports Lead,” Zubrik stated. “KPMG’s Global Sports practice consists of professionals who combine market-leading capabilities and experience with their passion for sport. Through our range of Audit, Tax, Consulting and Deal Advisory services, we are committed to ensuring sport maximises its commercial, economic and social value and contribution.”
Zubrik’s appointment forms part of a wider Global Sports network leadership shake-up at KPMG, with the Brit Peter Griffen named as Global Sports Sector Executive and Chad Gardiner to lead the Asia Pacific division, the latter also based out of Brisbane. A director in the firm’s management consulting practice, Gardiner has been with KPMG since 2007, with a particular focus on sports and major venues.
The moves follow the departure of former global sports boss Andrea Sartori, the founder of prominent data analysis platform Football Benchmark, who will now lead the newly-formed ACE Advisory which has been spun out of KPMG’s global sports advisory centre of excellence. Sartori had been with KPMG in various locations for close to thirty years, and has led its global sports practice since 2014.
Meanwhile, both Zubrik and Gardiner were contributors to a social and economic impact report which last year helped the Queensland government to secure Brisbane’s successful bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games. According to the analysis, the Games could deliver a potential $17.6 billion boon to the Australian economy over a period of twenty years, as well as create more than 120,000 full-time job years.
In 2020, Zubrik also led a wider Australian sports industry analysis for the Department of Health, estimating a $14.4 billion contribution to GDP in 2016/17 (equivalent to around 0.8% of total GDP) along with accounting for 1.5% of Australian employment, or close to 130,000 full-time equivalent jobs. The authors concluded scope for further growth, particularly in the areas of education and training and sports technology.
