The Essendon Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Roberts and David Wills to the board of directors. 

Essendon President David Barham welcomed the appointment of Roberts and Wills. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Tim and David to the board. They will bring tremendous insight and experience from their industries that will be extremely beneficial for the club,” Barham said. 

“They both have an excellent understanding of what it takes to run a successful organisation having led winning teams for the majority of their corporate life.

“Tim brings a wealth of business experience and loyalty to our board. He has been a lifelong supporter and is well known to our supporter groups. He has been instrumental in helping the club build the NEC Hangar and he will have a significant role in our future, in particular what we do at Windy Hill.

“David brings great integrity and the highest level of financial and professional experience to our board. He has an extensive business background and will be a great asset to our organisation for many years to come. Everyone is delighted that he is joining our board and we look forward to working with him as the club resets our strategy and purpose.”

David Wills brings more than 35 years of professional experience and will undertake the role of Finance Director and Chair of the Audit, Risk and Integrity Committee.

Wills' most recent role was Managing Partner of PwC’s worldwide private and family business sectors, a global role he held until his retirement from PwC at the end of 2019.

A lifelong Essendon fan, Wills’ professional experience focused on client service excellence and thought leadership through strategy, transformation and execution.

During his career at PwC, Wills was appointed to the Australian Executive Board at which time he established and led PwC’s Private Clients business as a stand-alone practice to deliver services in the areas of audit, tax, consulting, deals, wealth management and family consulting.

Wills said he was thrilled to join the club he grew up supporting. 

“My journey with the Bombers started when I was a kid. I had a Bomber guernsey the day I was born. I grew up in the country and came down to see the Bombers on the train before moving to Melbourne to live near Windy Hill,” Wills said.

“I’ve been in professional services for 35 years across several roles working with great people and high-performing teams. I plan to leverage those skills and experiences on the Essendon Board.

“The governance that the board can bring to a footy club is all about protecting, enhancing and polishing the brand which is the Essendon Football Club. It is a critical part of what we want to do as a Board as we move forward.

“I recognise there is a cycle in the economy, as there is a cycle in a footy club. Maintaining that positivity and realising there are better times ahead when you’re feeling low is really important.

“I will have a keen eye on providing the resources that the executives, coaches and players need to be as successful as they can be. I truly hope our members will share in a renewed sense of optimism."

Tim Roberts joins the Bombers with extensive involvement in the property and construction industry in his role as Executive Director of WT Partnership.

During his three decades at WT Partnership, Roberts has been responsible for the company’s expansion into America, Canada, the Middle East and India while also overseeing large scale infrastructure projects around the globe. 

Locally, Roberts was involved in various recreational projects, including the development of Caulfield Racecourse, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Metro Tunnel and the home of the Bombers, the NEC Hangar. 

Roberts also has a strong connection to the club through his memberships of various supporter groups. 

Roberts said he looked forward to helping the club achieve success.

“A real opportunity to drive the standards and outcomes that came out of the review and the high-performance nature of our footy club, right through from the board room to the locker room,” Roberts said.

“The board has been through a challenging time but having gone through a process with Andrew Muir and meeting the board members, there’s a clear alignment on the strategy moving forward.”

“It will be an absolute honour and privilege to work with the group to drive those standards right through the organisation. 

“I love the red and black. It brings a whole group of people together with a common purpose to achieve success. Having seen what success looks like, I want to see more of it, and I want our members and supporters to see more of it,” Roberts said.

Roberts will fill the vacant position left by Sean Wellman and stand for election in the 2023 AGM, while David Wills will fill the vacant position left by Peter Allen as an appointed position.