Morris Iemma had his scoring pen in hand when the call came to return to public life.

Mr Iemma has been appointed as one of six district commissioners on the Greater Sydney Commission, the powerful new agency with the potential to shape the future structure of the city.

Morris Iemma, a new district commissioner on the Greater Sydney Commission, quit as NSW premier in 2008. Credit:Jessica Hromas

But while the former premier of NSW says he is excited by the prospect of representing an area in which he has lived and worked his whole life, his appointment came out of the blue.

"I was watching my son representing NSW at a national cricket tournament and the phone rang as I was scoring," said Mr Iemma. "It was a head-hunting company."