Feb 12, 2020
In this episode, Michael Downey discusses:
Michael’s advice for leaders:
More about Michael Downey:
Michael Downey has been the President and CEO of Tennis Canada since 2004, with a brief break between 2013 and 2017, when the left to head up the British Lawn Tennis Association. During his tenure at Tennis Canada he set out to transform the organization from one known for hosting tournaments to a leader in talent development and high performance. He’s credited with changing the company’s culture and prompting its board of directors to invest in new talent. His work helped develop tennis stars such as Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard, whose performances on the world stage raised the profile of Tennis Canada to unprecedented levels. In 2013, he was recruited to oversee British Tennis, where he led the development of a new strategic plan focussed on reversing a decade long decline in grassroots participation.
He was previously the president of the Ontario-Western Canada region at Molson Breweries and held senior executive positions with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors. He also served as President of Skydome and Molson Sports and Entertainment. Downey lives in Toronto with his wife Jinder and has three children, Schara, Mackenzie and Sam.
Links to additional resources:
Memorable quote:
“It’s about focus, and doing your best practices and developing the strategies – and then basically sticking to the approach because it may not be easy out of the gate.”