Thanks for everyone's reply. I do want to address this post, but otherwise I will see myself out as I don't want to cause a stir on your club board.
I once was a law student and have now worked in a law firm for a while. So I have met many people and job applicants who, like Holly, are very motivated and ambitious from a young age. They participate in many societies and clubs, are active politically, meet leaders (both Australian and abroad) as part of their travels, speak several languages and so on. That's what I meant by your typical "law over achiever". As I said, I was (or tried to be) one a while ago so I am not disbaraging people who want to make the best of themselves. I think what sets Holly apart from the average "over achiever" is her charisma or, as you could put it, high level of EQ.
My concern is, apart from Holly's charisma and ability to deal with people, what else does she bring to the table? She has jumped straight from being a university student to being a consultant, but without the work experience in between to justify the job title. Right now, she seems to be more of a life coach like Tony Robbins. So I am skeptical of how useful her skill-set will be for the Port Adelaide board. I do, however, take the point of other posters that there is plenty of upside for Port and little to lose. I also accept that Port has done a fantastic job over the past few years of re-inventing itself and that Koch knows what he is doing (I was also skeptical when he came on board and I was wrong about that one).
To deal with the rest of the points:
- Dealings: As mentioned, Holly wears/has worn a number of hats (e.g. United Nations, G20 Summit, Rotary) and especially back in the day in Perth. So I dealt with her in a few of those capacities. I am not alone in this, and I am not trying to make out these were extensive or that we are best friends, but moreso that they formed the basis of my initial impression.
- Rotary: Look a very senior person in Rotary made an allegation (not criminal, just distasteful) which I am not going to pass on. Happy for people to totally disregard it on that basis (as I probably would if another poster did so).
- "Degenerating her achievements": Considering that we all participate on an online forum where we constantly pass judgment on 18-30 year old players (is Jack Watts 26 yet?), and given that Holly is now firmly in the public eye, I don't think my post was unreasonably negative. I am simply providing my opinion on an online forum.
Anyway wish Port all the best with this appointment and their upcoming season, that is, except against West Coast!