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SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos is in the box seat to become the next chief executive of Rugby Australia as the search for a full-time successor to Raelene Castle nears completion.
Multiple industry sources familiar with the recruitment process said Marinos, who has led SANZAAR since 2015, was the leading candidate for the top job, which was left vacant when Castle departed after a falling-out with the board in April. Rob Clarke has filled the CEO’s role on an interim basis since then.
SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos is expected to become the next chief executive of Rugby Australia.CREDIT:GETTY
RA chairman Hamish McLennan is nearing a decision on a permanent replacement. He is expected to seek approval from the board to sign off on the new chief executive before the end of the year.
Marinos was one of several candidates in the running and fits the profile McLennan and his board have been searching for – an executive with experience in the sport and who understands how to manage relationships with broadcasters.
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Other candidates in the mix included former NRL chief Todd Greenberg, former Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones, and Chris White, the boss of sport branding and sponsorship company International Quarterback.
The sources stressed that no deal had been signed and there were still other candidates in the mix but said Marinos was in a final round of meetings with key stakeholders.
Marinos has spent his career working in rugby in Australia and South Africa and has experience leading a commercial and marketing division – an area former advertising executives McLennan and Clarke consider hugely important for growing the code’s fanbase.
He also worked closely with Clarke during rugby’s broadcast rights negotiations this year. Rugby sources indicated that new broadcast partners Nine Entertainment Co (owner of this masthead) and subscription service Stan were impressed by his efforts.
Nine and Stan signed a three-year $100 million deal with RA in early November.
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The appointment of a CEO to Rugby Australia would mark an end to a difficult but significant year for the rugby union.
The retirement of chairman Paul McLean, the abrupt departure of Castle and the end to a two decade long relationship with Foxtel are among the major changes for the sport, which is also under a lot of financial pressure.
Well he's not from Mosman or U Syd , so that's new. Maybe the stink of recent SANZAAR flops sticks with him, fairly or not. But he has had plenty of Rugby related business experience so let's hope he's better than past CEO's. Admittedly that leaves the bar set pretty low.![]()
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Would seem to me like a rather average choice given the steady decline of SANZAAR under his stewardship including the many botched expansions and contractions of Super Rugby. Would hardly see him bringing any new ideas either, as he'd no doubt be chummy with most of the current and recent RA board members.
I would say or should I say hope the whole package is not worth as much as it was before either so you are not going to get the elite apply for a job with little financial reward, probably the best of what was on offer regardless of past performance.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
I think the big difference is you wont have Clyne with his rubber stamp board in the back round giving crazy directions. Hamish McClennan seems to be a sensible smart Chairman with a almost new board of directors, who are making Clarke look good.
So hopefully they are picking Marinos on merit and will also steer him in the right directions as well.
So it's now official. Clarke finishes up in February.
Rugby Australia appoints Andy Marinos as its Chief Executive Officer
Today at 6:30 PM
Rugby Australia (RA) has today announced the appointment of Andy Marinos as its new Chief Executive Officer following unanimous endorsement from the RA Board.
Marinos joins Rugby Australia following five years as the CEO of SANZAAR, Rugby’s peak administrative body in the Southern Hemisphere, where he assisted in guiding the joint venture from its Sydney base through the challenges of COVID-19 and the shifting broadcast landscape.
Born in Zimbabwe, Marinos already has a comprehensive knowledge of the community game in Australia and is a regular volunteer at his local Rugby club, with his passion for the grassroots aligning with Rugby Australia’s commitment to grow the game.
Having worked across high performance positions previously, Marinos is well positioned to contribute to full scale of Australian Rugby from grassroots to schools Rugby and with the elite teams. Through his role with SANZAAR, Marinos has an established relationship with each of the Australian Super Rugby teams.
Marinos has strong experience in Europe from his time spent working in Wales as the Chief Executive of the Newport Gwent Dragons as well as sitting on the Board of the Welsh Rugby Union.
A former professional Rugby and Rugby League player, Marinos played for the then-Natal Sharks, Western Province and the Stormers before moving to Newport and playing 97 times for the Dragons where he then earned Test honours for Wales. Marinos also represented the then-Sydney (now Canterbury-Bankstown) Bulldogs in 1996.
The 48-year-old has also served in roles for the South African Rugby Union (SARU) where he worked as General Manager for Commercial and Marketing as well Springboks Team Manager, Manager of South African National Teams and SARU Acting Managing Director and Board Member.
Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan said that Marinos was the standout candidate with a strong global network, significant high performance, commercial and broadcast experience from around the world, as well as proven connections within the Australian game.
“Andy is an extremely impressive and experienced Rugby administrator who covered every key criterion that the board wanted to see in our new Chief Executive Officer. He’s called Australia home for the last five years and he has an outstanding understanding of the Rugby landscape in this country.
“He has a wealth of experience in managing broadcasters and commercial partners and also boasts impeccable relationships with the Six Nations Unions which, together with his SANZAAR connections, strengthens Rugby Australia’s Bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“Through his recent roles in Wales, with South African Rugby and with SANZAAR, Andy is uniquely placed to hit the ground running in 2021 with a new broadcast landscape and new competition structures.
“This is an exciting time for Rugby with a new broadcast partnership with Nine Entertainment Co., as well as the opportunity we have in the community level of the game.
“Andy has an exciting vision for Rugby in Australia, and he knows what needs to be done to continue the code’s success into 2021 and beyond.
“I congratulate Andy on his appointment and look forward to working with him on continuing to grow Rugby in Australia.
“I would also like to acknowledge and thank Rob Clarke for his service in 2020. Rob stepped into the role on short notice and has done an incredible job in re-structuring Rugby to be set up for future success,” McLennan said.
Incoming Rugby Australia Chief Executive, Andy Marinos said: “I’m incredibly humbled to accept the position of Chief Executive Officer of Rugby Australia and very excited about Rugby’s future in this country.
“Despite there being a lot of hard work ahead, I believe that Rugby Australia is uniquely placed for success both domestically and on the global stage. We need to hit the ground running and build momentum from the start so we can continue to move forward with deliberate intent, as we look to reignite the game from the bottom up. Next year has an exciting domestic and international rugby calendar so we need to be ready to maximise these opportunities.
“The game has endured substantial change over the last six to eight months and I’m optimistic and excited to be involved with Rugby Australia as it heads off in a new, positive strategic direction.
“We have a new broadcast partner in Nine Entertainment Co., a Rugby World Cup bid for 2027, a British and Irish Lions tour on the horizon, new competition formats, an exciting Wallabies calendar, an Olympic Games for our Sevens teams and a Rugby World Cup for our Buildcorp Wallaroos.
“I’m looking forward to the start of the new year, meeting and engaging with as many stakeholders as I can, as we continue Rugby’s growth at the grassroots level, as well as amongst our fans and participants. I’m passionate about building new commercial opportunities, enhancing stakeholder relationships, delivering a Rugby eco-system that provides clear aspirational pathways from the community to the National Teams, and working with our high performance teams to deliver a more competitive and engaged on-field product,” Marinos said.
Marinos will join Rugby Australia in February with a four-week handover scheduled with current interim Chief Executive Rob Clarke.
https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2020/1...cutive-officer
Well at the very least, that puts an end to speculation that Clarke wanted to stick around. Marinos has copped flak for the mess that SANZAAR has presided over. But to be fair the disastrous expansions of SR in 2012 and 2015 were in train well before he came on the scene. Greg Peters -now CEO of the NZRL - was in the job during those years. Marinos has had to deal with the fallout and may have impressed the right people. Glass half full time, I reckon.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
'He's rugby to the core':
SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos has been confirmed as the new chief executive of Rugby Australia, with chairman Hamish McLennan saying he is "rugby to the core"..... (well almost - if you ignore his time on "The Dark Side" )
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-u...23-p56pvz.html
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
The Kiwis are a bit salty! Lol
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rug...SWWKNAZ55QNN4/
Rugby Australia's new boss was ruled out by chairman
24 Dec, 2020 03:45 AM
He is the man who Rugby Australia said had no chance of getting the job.
But 48-year-old Andy Marinos – the head of SANZAAR for the past five years - will lead the batltlng Aussie rugby union, it has been announced.
The Zimbabwean-born Marinos, who played test rugby for Wales, takes over from interim boss Rob Clarke in February.
Back in September, RA chairman Hamish McLennan emphatically ruled Marinos out.
"He's obviously a really well known rugby identity and highly respected here and around the world but he's not on our shortlist," McLennan said then.
"No one has interviewed Andy and I haven't spoken to him about the CEO search."
Marinos said he was "incredibly humbled" to get the job held by Kiwi Raelene Castle until she resigned under pressure in April.
"I believe that Rugby Australia is uniquely placed for success both domestically and on the global stage," he said.
"We need to hit the ground running…as we look to reignite the game from the bottom up."
Sydney-based Marinos had a very brief league career with the Bulldogs, and played rugby for Natal, Western Province and the Stormers before heading to Wales.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
"He is the man who Rugby Australia said had no chance of getting the job."
Hmmm.... if you were wearing your tinfoil hat you might wonder if somebody with a fair bit of clout "suggested" that this appointment not go to any of the usual suspects. Especially if said mystery man was on the record as demanding change.![]()
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Not sure a SANZAR usual suspect is trading up from a RA usual suspect though. Probably not as big a clusterf*** of an organisation, but maybe more consistently.