Netball Singapore’s new chief executive Daniel Ho embraces new challenge

SINGAPORE – Surprise is often the reaction whenever people find out that Netball Singapore’s (NS) new chief executive from Jan 1 will be Daniel Ho.

Even the 35-year-old, who is serving notice as local news site Mothership’s chief operations officer, admits that it is an unexpected move.

While contemplating the role, one recurring question Ho asked himself was, “What does a media guy know about sport?”

It was not a decision he took lightly after NS president Trina Liang, a fellow management committee member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approached him in August as the national sports association sought a replacement for outgoing chief executive Cyrus Medora.

Medora, 73,

will be stepping down at the end of the year,

after 19 years with NS.

While Ho was initially unsure about his suitability for the role, he was convinced after attending the Nations Cup in September.

He said: “Observing from the stands, trying to learn the game, watching our Singapore Vandas fight hard on court, seeing the professionalism of the coaches, officials and staff, and the positive vibe surrounding the netball community – I felt that special connection.

“There was a realisation that this could not have come about by chance – it had to have taken tremendous sacrifice and been painstakingly built up by everybody involved in the sport, past and present.”

At the OCBC Arena, he also saw the connection that the national players had with their fans, as they stayed back after games to sign merchandise and take photos with the spectators.

He added: “It requires a lot of genuinely wanting to further the sport and it goes beyond just the game, it goes to the people as well. That people element is really important, that stood out for me.”

Ho acknowledged that he may not be the most “conventional candidate” with much to learn, but he believes that his time with Mothership for nearly nine years has given him some experience that will be useful in his new job.

Commercial sponsorship was an area that he was involved in as Mothership went from a socio-political blog backed by a social enterprise to a fully commercial media business.

Ho said: “We do want to involve a lot more commercial sponsorship, which was also a big effort that I was a part of back at Mothership when we made the decision to turn into a commercial entity, having to earn your keep and find relevance and bring value to the people supporting you.”

Sport has also been a big part of his life, with Ho continuing to play hockey at the club level after picking up the sport in Secondary 1.

It is still early days for him in netball, but the work has begun even before he officially assumes his role. He has spent the past few weeks shadowing Medora, who expressed confidence in Ho’s appointment.

Medora said: “We interviewed a few... and he was the best choice. He comes across as bright, energetic, hungry – everyone was unanimous in picking him, so that was great.”

An important year beckons for netball and among the priorities for Ho is ensuring that Singapore’s netballers are well supported as they prepare for major competitions such as December’s SEA Games in Bangkok and September’s Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, a British territory on Spain’s south coast.

Pointing to netball’s popularity in Singapore – it is part of the curriculum in over 200 schools and there are more than 80 affiliated clubs – Ho hopes to continue growing the profile of the sport here.

He said: “My immediate priority is to make sure the strong foundation that has been built up over the years doesn’t come undone...

“I really want to be more forthcoming and bold in experimenting and engaging across domains outside of sports.

“I want to be able to tell stories about netballers and celebrate netball.”