Rabbitohs owner becomes its new chief executive

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A finger in every pie ... Souths co-owner and new chief executive Peter Holmes a Court. Photograph: Brett Costello

By Nick Walshaw
February 02, 2008 12:00am

MILLIONAIRE businessman Peter Holmes a Court will take over the day-to-day running of the South Sydney Rabbitohs today when he is announced as the club's new chief executive.

The Saturday Daily Telegraph can exclusively reveal the millionaire Sydney businessman will retain his executive chairman title - with a team of four directors reporting in on all aspects of the business.

Holmes a Court, who co-owns the club with movie star Russell Crowe, said he was relishing the challenge of one of sport's toughest jobs.

"To be honest this whole thing has proved bigger than I expected in every direction - more challenging and certainly more enjoyable," Holmes a Court said yesterday of the landmark decision.

"I always knew it would be hard. Challenging. But there's now a lot of heavy lifting to be done and I've decided to get my hands on that.

"Souths have already enjoyed a huge amount of initial success but turning this club around was always a three-year plan . . . we've only finished one."

Never in league's 100 years has any club been overseen by someone with the business acumen of Holmes a Court.

Indeed, few sporting bodies nationwide boast an official quite like the Oxford graduate who heads White Bull Holdings and Back Row Productions.

In the past 20 years alone, league has chewed up a staggering 103 chief executives - including Richardson, who stood down last October declaring the days of "footy head" CEOs numbered.

"Oh, I definitely think it's a tougher job than most people realise," Holmes a Court said. "And chief executives probably haven't been as valued in the past as they should've been.

"I mean, right now we've got to get back to Redfern, open a leagues club without poker machines and we've got to be sure to get that right."

Holmes a Court will remain unpaid - "as a shareholder it would be inappropriate to take a salary" - and stresses he doesn't want to become the face of the Rabbitohs.

"When fans think of Souths we want them seeing Jason Taylor, Roy Asotasi, Craig Wing."

South Sydney had more than 100 applications for the vacant chief executive role.

Two of those candidates - Joe Kelly and John Richardson - were already part of the club and will now front half the new business team.

The four directors are Shane Richardson (football), Chris Green (sales), Richardson (marketing) and Kelly (finance). Kelly will also attend CEO conferences.

http://www.news.com.au/dailyteleg.../0,22049,23145171-5006066,00.html

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Skyhunter · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:59 pm Post subject:

I guess it was just a question of time really.