North Melbourne has strengthened its executive team with the appointment of Nadine Cohen to the position of General Manager, Government Relations and Laura Kane as General Manager, Strategy and Football Operations.

Cohen joins the Kangaroos following a decade-long stint as Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Netball Australia and will work on several major projects and campaigns, including the Arden Precinct and the development of a new government relations strategy for the club.

“Nadine is a proven leader with more than 25 years of executive experience, with much of that being in sport,” North CEO Ben Amarfio said.

“We are entering an important time for the club and Nadine’s appointment is of utmost importance and significance.

“Nadine helped establish Netball Australia’s inaugural Parliamentary Engagement Strategy which resulted in record levels of new government investment and created new pathways and opportunities for the sport. We are excited about what Nadine will bring to North Melbourne.”

During her time as Deputy CEO, Cohen was also Netball Australia’s Head of Government Strategy and Social Innovation, which focused on envisioning netball as an agent for social change and a conduit between sport, government and social policy.

“Nadine has led a diverse range of teams and has great experience and knowledge and will be a tremendous asset to the North Melbourne Football Club,” Amarfio added.

Cohen, who begins on Monday March 22, said she was thrilled to be joining North Melbourne.

“Throughout my career I have been an advocate for social justice and welcome North Melbourne Football Club’s unwavering commitment to its community,” she said.

“The work North Melbourne has done in the community and the values its people live by are a perfect fit for me and I can’t wait to begin.”

Meanwhile Amarfio says Kane’s promotion will enable the club to better position itself for the future.

“Laura has been integral in the way we have navigated through the Covid pandemic while running our entire football operations including AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW,” Amarfio said.

“Now Laura will focus on wider club strategy and work with all departments to ensure we are capitalising on the opportunities that lie ahead,” he said.

Brady Rawlings remains GM of Football with oversight of high performance, recruiting and list management.