John O’Sullivan, chief commercial officer for the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), has been appointed chief executive officer of the Queensland Events Corporation and will commence in his role in early 2010.

Speaking on the appointment, Geoff Dixon, Queensland Events chairman, said: “John has an impressive background in event management at the highest level and he is ideally placed to lead Queensland Events into the future.

“In his role at the FFA, John was instrumental in the growth of soccer in Australia and he has overseen the delivery of major events at a national and international level. Queensland Events is moving in to a new era, and we needed a chief executive with commercial acumen and a knowledge of the events industry.

“John’s career not only spans the management of major events, but his work in sponsorship and broadcast will be invaluable in his role at Queensland Events. All members of the Board are looking forward to working with John and his team at Queensland Events to deliver on bringing big events to Queensland.

“John’s enthusiasm and professionalism was obvious to us, and we know he will be invaluable to the events industry in Queensland.”