As Collingwood’s Senior Financial Accountant within the Club’s Finance team, Brooke Bernacki’s journey is one of empowerment, reflection and finding fulfilment.
Starting her journey in high-school, Brooke shares she fell into accounting after taking advice from a teacher. “She said, ‘you should probably look into accounting,’ and I thought maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“I went on to study a Bachelor of Business majoring in professional accountancy at RMIT University and started working work at a tax firm in the third year of my degree. It was a great opportunity, offering experience of what it’s like to work in the world of accounting.”
“After being in the tax industry for a couple years I realised that it wasn’t that fulfilling, and I had recently received an email from LinkedIn with job opportunities and saw that Collingwood was hiring.” Being a dream to work at a football club, she took the chance. “Although controversially I’m a Geelong supporter,” she laughed, “I thought this would be such a great opportunity.”
Now, she oversees the finances of the partnership, merchandise, commercial sales and events and foundation departments, ensuring they remain within their budgets, managing their monthly reporting and preparing board reports.
“I am often asked, ‘How did you get a job in football?’, and my advice is to just apply. I never would have thought I’d have a chance, especially considering how many other people would have also gone for the role, so you should just back yourself.”
Patience and attention to detail are some skills and qualities that are required for a finance role, but Brooke shares that it’s also important to have confidence in yourself. “We have a unique skill at the Club being able to assist with financing and servicing other departments, so it’s important to know your stuff and have the confidence you can assist when someone needs your help.”
Taking care of these accounts isn’t an easy feat, so when asked what she most enjoys about the role, it came down to the environment. “Coming from a tax background, I sometimes felt isolated, but at Collingwood it’s much more collaborative and everyone is always happy to have a chat, which speaks to the culture at the Club.”
Shifting the conversation around women's empowerment, she shares why it’s personally important to her. “Working in a male-dominated industry in both football and finance, it can feel intimidating. I feel it’s important for every woman to believe in themselves and know that you can be whoever you want to be.”
“That’s why I love our Women in Black and White lunches because I feel so empowered by the women I work with and we're all such successors in our own way. We are surrounded by such beautiful people, so we can develop those relationships and connections within the business world but also build lasting friendships.”
The Club’s Women in Black and White Group will continue to profile the women and non-binary people of the Club each month in 2025.
