Jock O'Callaghan becomes the new APC President replacing long serving Glenn Tasker ©AUS Paralympics/Twitter

Jock O’Callaghan has been appointed as President of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) to replace Glenn Tasker.

O'Callaghan succeeds Tasker, who had served as APC President for five years having assumed the role in 2013.

Tasker was also a director of the APC for 10 years and will remain on the Board until the Annual General Meeting in November.

O’Callaghan has more than 25 years’ experience as a chartered accountant and has been a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2001.

“I am very proud to be given the opportunity and responsibility to lead the APC during what will be a very important and exciting time for the Paralympic Movement,” he said.

“The APC is an incredible organisation and I am excited to see what our Board and our very committed staff and partners can achieve during my tenure as President.”

O’Callaghan joined the APC Board in 2014 but was involved with the organisation before then as he previously served on the APC’s Audit and Risk Committee.

He praised his predecessor’s achievements in the President role and hoped that he could emulate his success.

Glenn Tasker was at the helm of the APC before and during the Rio 2016 Paralympics, where the organisation enjoyed record levels of sponsorship ©Getty Images
Glenn Tasker was at the helm of the APC before and during the Rio 2016 Paralympics, where the organisation enjoyed record levels of sponsorship ©Getty Images

“I want to extend my congratulations to Glenn Tasker for his outstanding leadership of the APC,” O’Callaghan said.

“He navigated the organisation through arguably the most tumultuous period in its history and was able to lead it back to a position of operational, reputational and financial strength.

“Among the many APC’s achievements during his Presidency were the record levels of sponsorship revenue for the Rio Games cycle, the first ever commercial broadcast deals for the Summer and Winter Paralympics, the full repayment of the APC’s loan from the Australian Sports Commission and the drastic improvement made to the APC’s corporate governance and financial sustainability.

“Looking towards Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022, it is my hope that we can build on the success of recent years and continue to harness the momentum of the Paralympic movement which is thriving globally.”

O’Callaghan is joined on the APC Board by outgoing Tasker, Lachlan Harris, John Hartigan, Rosie King, Helen Nott and Paralympians Kurt Fearnley and Annabelle Williams.

O'Callaghan was also recently invited to join the International Paralympic Committee’s Audit and Finance Committee.