Officiating Advisory Group Members

Ash Synott

Ash Synnott is the Managing Director and Founder of The Officiating Collective, a global organisation dedicated to the holistic development of sports officials. Ash brings more than 25 years’ experience across grassroots, national, and international sport systems, including senior roles at Sport & Recreation ACT, the Australian Sports Commission, and the Australian Institute of Sport. He has led national officiating workforce initiatives, developed and delivered large-scale development programs, and supported sports to strengthen officiating pathways and system capability. Through extensive international partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia, Ash has a strong understanding of global officiating models and emerging best practice, which he continues to translate into practical solutions for the Australian context. He is a recognised international speaker and adviser, with a strong passion for creating safe, inclusive, and sustainable environments for officials at all levels.

Deepali Mistry

Deepali Mistry is a highly respected judo official with more than 40 years’ experience across sport as an athlete, international referee, educator and leader. She is the first Indian Australian appointed Chair of the Judo Australia Referee Committee and is widely recognised for her contribution to modernising officiating frameworks, strengthening development pathways and promoting safe, inclusive sporting environments.

Deepali is currently Referee Director and Chair of the Judo Australia Referee Committee and a member of the Oceania Judo Union Refereeing Commission. She previously served on the Judo Australia National Referee Committee for eight years and on the Judo NSW Referee Commission for over a decade.

In her national leadership roles, Deepali leads referee strategy, education, and development pathways, and has made a significant contribution to talent identification and event officiating programs at both state and national levels. She is a strong advocate for inclusive sport and for expanding opportunities for women, young people, and diverse communities.

Deepali holds an International Judo Federation International Referee Licence and has officiated at major international events, including Grand Slams, Grand Prix, Continental Opens, and Junior and Senior World Championships. Her contribution has been recognised through multiple awards, including NSW Government Official of the Year and a NSW Government Award for Community Participation for delivering online referee education during COVID-19.

Delfina Shakespear

Delfina Shakespear is a national sport integrity leader, keynote speaker, and high-performance football match official who has officiated over 100 A-League Women’s matches. She is the National Program Manager at Sport Integrity Australia, leading the Empowering Women and Girls Program which aims to tackle abuse, discrimination and integrity threats in sport and she is also the first female Vice President of the Professional Football Referees Association, where she actively advocates for the rights of match officials and empowering the next generation. Delfina has driven cultural change, she combines authentic lived experience with strategic leadership to champion respect, inclusion and integrity in sport, through initiatives like Reduce Abuse and We Play as One at Capital Football, and her advocacy has earned her recognition as a finalist in 2025 ACT Australian of the Year - Local Hero and 2024 ACT Woman of the Year Special Commendation.

Jacqui Jashari

Jacqui is currently the Executive Director of Sport and Recreation within the Western Australia Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport. She brings extensive experience across a broad range of priorities, including governance, business development, participation, election commitments, KidSport, regional programs, coaching and officiating development, high-performance sport, and cross-government initiatives. In this role, Jacqui leads her team to deliver growth strategies to build capability and capacity across sport in Western Australia.

As head of the Sport and Recreation Division, Jacqui works closely with key stakeholders and partners including community organisations, local and state authorities, national agencies, and sport and recreation bodies, to strengthen and support the sector through collaboration.

Jacqui’s officiating expertise is underpinned by her distinguished career as an international netball umpire. She earned the All Australian Umpire Award in 1997 and the International Umpire Award in 2005, the highest accolades nationally and globally. Today, she contributes as a member of the World Netball International Testing and Assessment Panel, where she coaches, assesses, and mentors elite-level umpires.

Her experience spans umpiring and coaching at World Championships, Commonwealth Games, international test matches, and premier competitions such as the ANZ Trans-Tasman League and Suncorp Super Netball.

In 2024, Jacqui co-presented at the Australian Sports Commission Coaching and Officiating Conference. She has also played a key role in developing officiating resources while mentoring officials across multiple sports. She has delivered presentations internationally, including in Scotland, Singapore, and New Zealand, as well as nationally and locally.

Jacqui’s contributions have been widely recognised. She is a recipient of the 2000 Sports Medal of Australia, a WA Sports Star Official of the Year winner, and an eight-time WA Netball Umpire of the Year honouree.

Nathan Magill

Nathan Magill is a referee development leader with experience across Australian and international football systems. His work has focused on referee education, talent identification, pathway design, and high-performance officiating programs at national sporting organisation level.

Nathan has led curriculum development, selection frameworks, and coach education initiatives, working closely with governing bodies, professional leagues, and international partners. His international experience includes working with The FA in England, contributing to UEFA programs supporting member associations, and supporting the Premier League’s Elite Referee Development Plan, which strengthens talent identification and improves diversity across the referee pathway for the Premier League and Women’s Super League.

Nathan has been appointed Director of Referee Education and Development with U.S. Soccer, commencing January 2026, and will be based in the United States, where he will continue his involvement in international referee education and development.

Nick Hunter

Nick Hunter has extensive experience in officiating development and education across community, national, and international sport systems. At community level, Nick has contributed to changes in rowing officiating in the ACT to make the pathway more attractive to younger people and more inclusive of diverse groups. At national level, he co-designed a program focused on excellence in rowing officiating and mentored participants through the Australian Sports Commission’s former National Officiating Scholarship Program. At international level, Nick plays a role in designing and delivering World Rowing’s officiating education, including the delivery of basic officiating and event delivery education in developing federations. Nick also has a professional background with the Australian Institute of Sport and in high-performance para sport within the national sport system.

Penelope Barr

Penelope Barr is a transition strategist, author, speaker, Board Director with over 20 years of global executive leadership experience across 10 countries. Her career spans technology, transformation, innovation, product and large-scale change, working at the intersection of strategy and human performance. Penelope is the creator of the 6:3:3 Portfolio Careerist framework, a model designed to help leaders and organisations navigate complexity, reinvention, and growth across shifting markets and life stages. Penelope’s work is grounded in systems thinking, practical execution, and a deep understanding of how people, time and environments shape sustainable performance. For several years Penelope has volunteered in community and school sports as a rowing and basketball umpire and AFL football manager.

Pete Ingram

Pete recently retired after over 40 years in law enforcement across federal and state agencies. He has lived in both Asia and the Pacific region working extensively in education and capability development roles that strengthen international law enforcement cooperation. Pete was at the forefront of many significant international events holding prominent leadership/command roles such as the Tsunami Response in Thailand (2004), multiple mass civil unrest response incidents in the Solomon Islands (2008-2010), and the World G20 Leadership Summit in Brisbane in 2014.

For the last five years, Pete as part of the Queensland Police Service, designed and developed an award-winning First Nations project in multiple remote communities across Queensland. This program of work engaged, and partnered with, multiple stakeholders across all levels of government. To date this project has recruited, trained, and employed over 70 local indigenous people, providing them with sustainable, ongoing, and life changing work opportunities as sworn Protective Services Officers within the QPS.

Peter Wroblewski

Peter Wroblewski is a sports management professional with over a decade of experience in officiating and workforce development. He currently leads officiating development at Tennis Australia, where he applies a participant-centred, people-first approach to building strong and sustainable officiating workforces.

Peter’s background spans participation, coaching, and officiating across both state and national environments. He is experienced in translating strategy into practical, on-the-ground action, with a strong focus on systems, culture, and implementation.

He is driven by a commitment to ensuring sport works for the people who show up every day, and to creating environments where officials feel supported, capable, and valued.

Dr Robert Kerr

Dr Robert Kerr brings over 30 years of experience at the intersection of sport and business. Since March 2020, he has served as CEO of the AFL Umpires Association, representing the collective interests of AFL umpires to the AFL and the broader public, while also collaborating with peak bodies of state league umpires nationwide. In this role, he has successfully negotiated improved terms and conditions for umpires, including upgraded training facilities and modernised workplace conditions.

A former AFL player and AFL Assistant Coach, Rob has held senior leadership positions including CEO of the AFL Players Association (2000-2004), GM of Football at Essendon Football Club (2014-2017), and National Talent Manager at the Brisbane Lions (2010-2014).

As a qualified psychologist, Rob has worked extensively as both a sport psychologist and organisational psychologist. He served as a leadership consultant for international firms, developing executive leadership capability for organisations including Shell, Cadbury Schweppes, Coles, and ANZ. He has also worked in the health sector, notably as one of two founding (2002 - ongoing) Directors of a successful specialist medical practice which continues to serve the community.

Rob's work is distinguished by his focus on leadership development and creating clear, vision-driven strategies that guide decision-making for individuals and organisations alike.

Katie Foulkes (Chair Officiating Advisory Group)

Katie is Director, Coaching and Officiating at the Australian Sports Commission, where she leads national work to strengthen coaching and officiating capability and shape positive sporting environments across Australia. With more than 20 years’ experience across sport, government and global organisations, she works at the intersection of performance, wellbeing and system-wide change.

A two-time Olympian and former international rowing coach, Katie brings lived experience of high-performance sport alongside research expertise in resilience and coaching psychology. As Chair of the Officiating Advisory Group, she is committed to elevating the leadership role of officials, from community sport through to high performance, and building a coordinated, participant-centred system that supports their attraction, development and long-term engagement across Australian sport.