James Begley is an entrepreneur, a former professional athlete, and the founder & chief executive of PickStar - Australia's largest marketplace to book sports stars for events, marketing campaigns and fan experiences.
Mr Begley joined forces with AFL champion Matthew Pavlich, building an online platform that provides fast, affordable and direct connections to over 900 sports stars and personalities. So far, the Adelaide-based startup has facilitated over 1000 deals, working with some of Australia's biggest brands including Caltex, Sportsbet, Optus, Coles and Sanitarium along with numerous charities, schools, clubs and fans.
Mr Begley was a founding director of Tract Group, a corporate leadership and development company. He spent over a decade helping organisations such as Mirvac, Landcorp, Fremantle Football Club, Bendigo Bank and CGU develop and implement strategies to get the most out of their teams and emerging leaders.
His career has been dedicated to high performance from the moment he was drafted to the AFL as a 17 year old. Mr Begley spent seven years as an AFL player, initially with St Kilda before returning to his home state to join the Adelaide Crows.
He is a co-host of Rooster Radio - a leading business, entrepreneurship and leadership podcast, featuring more than 100 interviews with Adelaide's brightest and most inspiring people.
