- Swinburne University of TechnologySwinburne University of Technology
1981-1983
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
O'Connell was directly involved with all financial aspects of the Tatts mergers with UNiTAB in 2006 and Tabcorp in 2017. These were some of the largest deals in the industry, with the deals valued at AU$11bn.
On his retirement from Corporate Travel Management, the Managing Director emphasised how integral O’Connell was in managing the company throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As it was an international company, O’Connell was responsible for managing the financial impacts this had on the company, especially as the majority of its market was in Europe and the US.
EMPLOYMENT
The Star Entertainment Group announced on 22 March 2024 that Christina Katsibouba would be stepping down as the CFO of the company, with Neale O'Connell taking over the role the next Monday. He would be brought in with almost immediate effect to lead the financial sector of The Star Entertainment Group.
Prior to this, O’Connell was a Board Member of the Financial Executives Institute of Australia (FEI), a position he took up in July 2016. The FEI is a non-profit organisation that mentors senior financial executives with a focus on peer networking.
During 2021, and while Songtradr was establishing itself in Australia, O’Connell was on board as a Strategic Advisor. In this role, he would advise and assist the company by identifying and employing key finance personnel.
His most recent CFO position before Star Entertainment was between 2019 and 2021, with Corporate Travel Management. Throughout this, he was also a Non-Executive Director at Locality Planning Energy Holdings.
One of his most significant postings was with Tatts Group, a company that was later acquired by Tapcorp. This merger was valued at $11bn and became effective on 13 December, 2017. O’Connell joined the company in July 2004, but would leave only a few months after the merger with Tabcorp, in March 2018.
Ultimately, O'Connell would stay with The Star Entertainment Group for just over one year before departing in 2025. He will now focus on his efforts as a Board Member of the Financial Executives Institute of Australia. At Star Entertainment, O'Connell was succeeded by Frank Krile.
