Dr Michele Cox
Michele is a former Football Fern who went on to work for ASB as Senior Sponsorship and Corporate Development Manager before becoming the Head of Women’s Football for NZ Football, leading the successful bid for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held in New Zealand in 2008.
Michele has been a Board Member for Paralympics NZ, Sport Auckland and YMCA Auckland as well as member of the FIFA Committee for Women’s Football and the Women’s World Cup from 2005 – 2011, and is currently a member of the Net Proceeds Committee for the Four Winds Foundation.
Michele recently returned to New Zealand after living in Switzerland where she worked as a consultant for FIFA, UEFA and AFC and their members in over 70 countries. She was also the Director of Marketing and Development Programmes for Asian Football Development Project, a foundation established by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan to promote social development through football.
After working in the Migrant and Refugee sector as the CEO of the Asylum Seekers Support Trust upon her return to New Zealand, Michele worked for NZ Cricket as the National Female Participation Manager and at the same time lectured an Advanced Sport Development paper for AUT. She then spent three years as the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Football Foundation.
To complement her work in sport, Michele has a PhD in Physical Activity/Health Promotion from AUT, as well as an MA in Psychology, a Dip Bus (Marketing) and a Diploma in Naturopathy.
To date, she also has had nine books published relating to sport, health and wellbeing, and excellence, with the latest releases being Murdering Middle Age: Surviving and Thriving in Midlife (Upstart Press) and her Sammy Soccer series – a trilogy about the trials and tribulations of a young 10 year-old girl who plays football in a mixed team, which coincided perfectly with the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July 2023.
In 2024 Michele is managing a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee, the Oceania Olympic Committee, UN Women and Team Up on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Australia to promote gender equality, inclusion and prevention of violence throughout Oceania.
As an expert in her field with international experience, she is highly qualified to help drive positive change.
Michele is available for interviews and expert comment.