2026 Impact INTL: Australia/New Zealand Honoree: Matthew Lazarus-Hall

Matthew Lazarus-Hall
General Manager
Afterpay Arena / Legends Global

BEST ADVICE RECEIVED: ”Never forget the deal, even if done late at night on a beer coaster. Go the extra mile even when people aren’t looking.”

Over 27 years. Matthew Lazarus-Hall served as CEO of Chugg Entertainment for 12 years, was CEO of country music festival CMC Rocks, operated consultancies Uncommon Cord and Square Circles, helped develop Laneway festival, had senior roles at Ticketek, was AEG’s Asia Pacific senior vice president based in Singapore and ASM Global’s executive vice president of entertainment and content.

A highlight was being part of the launch team of CMC Rocks, “as there were many that said it would not work. I appreciate that there were major changes and improvements over the past years, but creating something is always fun,” he says.

More recently, it was being part of the leadership team that opened, in March 2025, the HK$30 billion 28-hectare Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. “It was such an enormous project and to see it become so successful so quickly was a great vibe.”

He took over this year at his role at Afterpay Arena Sydney, formerly known as Qudos Bank Arena, where the new naming rights deal “has given the business such a tremendous boost and we look forward to working more closely not only with Afterpay, but our hirers and grow the business whilst always enhancing the customer experience.”

Plans for the Sydney arena, which holds up to 21,000 for concerts, include updates and a pipeline of shows and multiple-nights.

The concert that changed his life was seeing Midnight Oil at Brandon Park in Wollongong, while the things that keep him sane outside of work include “Working on the farm and walking my dog.”

Apart from his own venue, he says the best place to catch a show is Arena di Verona in Italy: “the most amazing acoustics in a venue and just beautiful.”

“We are part of the world’s biggest team sport,” he says. “Without every person doing their job, we do not have events. Fans buy tickets to see talented artists, our role is to create a place for them to meet fans and for everyone to have a cracking good and safe time.”