Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian is a legendary figure in Australian basketball. He moved to Australia in 1977 to play for the Melbourne Tigers, eventually transitioning to coaching in 1988 with the Eastside Spectres. Goorjian led the South East Melbourne Magic to two NBL championships and the Sydney Kings to three consecutive titles from 2003 to 2005. As coach of the Boomers, he represented Australia at four Olympics, cementing his international reputation by guiding the men’s national team to their first medal (bronze) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. After a successful coaching stint in China from 2009 to 2021, he returned to coach the Illawarra Hawks (from 2020 to 2022) and, in 2024, signed a three-year deal with the Sydney Kings to cap off a remarkable 33-year coaching career, boasting a 70% NBL winning record.
Sunrise Sessions
What can the boardroom learn from the locker room? Robyn Denholm, Chair of Tesla, Blackbird Partner, and co-owner of the Sydney Kings and Flames, sits down with legendary coach Brian Goorjian to swap stories on leadership, pressure, and what it really takes to build something great, whether it’s a team or a company. With experience at the highest levels of sport and business, they’ll share the moments that shaped them, the challenges they didn’t see coming, and what keeps them pushing forward. They'll discuss what it takes to motivate and inspire young people, how to build dynamic teams and how to be a vulnerable and strong leader.