Four months after Mark Robinson announced his resignation, New Zealand Rugby is set to appoint an interim chief executive as the search for a long-term replacement goes on.
The Herald understands New Zealand Rugby (NZR) general manager of community rugby Steve Lancaster has been elevated to interim chief executive asRobinson prepares to exit his six-year post in December.
Lancaster’s interim chief executive appointment has been communicated within New Zealand rugby circles, with the provincial unions, among other stakeholders, having been informed.
Lancaster, the former lock who shares close ties to All Blacks coach Scott Robertson as they played together at the Crusaders, is something of a back-to-the-future appointment.
While Lancaster is among NZR’s executive team and has an inherent understanding of New Zealand community rugby, he lacks elite high-performance and large-scale commercial experience.
New Zealand Rugby's Steve Lancaster. Photo / Photosport
NZR general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum is the more obvious internal successor to Robinson but, unlike Lancaster, it’s understood he did not apply for the chief executive position.
Following Robinson’s resignation in June, NZR engaged recruitment company Sheffield to scour the globe for potential replacements.
The Herald understands Sheffield approached Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich, Sport New Zealand and former Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle and One New Zealand CEO Jason Paris.
All, however, are understood to have declined to apply.
Crusaders boss Colin Mansbridge is another to have ruled himself out of contention.
Some of those prospective candidates told the Herald NZR’s pitch to replace Robinson was weighted in favour of international business experience rather than institutional rugby knowledge.
Steve Lancaster (left is to take over as interim chief executive of NZ Rugby. Others who opted out include (left-to-right) Raelene Castle, Steve Jurkovich, Jason Paris and Colin Mansbridge.
With NZR pulling in an annual income of $120 million from sponsorship, while managing $262m of equity from US fund manager Silver Lake, the desire for a commercially savvy chief executive is understandable.
At this stage, there is no fixed term for Lancaster’s role as interim chief executive.
NZ Rugby staged interviews last Friday and the national body remains confident of making an appointment before Christmas, but with a significant notice period likely for any shortlisted candidate, a permanent replacement is not expected to start before April next year.
The longer NZR takes to source a permanent replacement for Robinson, the more his position appears less desirable.
With an estimated salary believed to range between $700,000 to $900,000, many potential candidates would need to take a hefty pay cut and may be scared off by the scrutiny attached to the NZR chief executive role.
Presiding over the national sport is a lure but the demands are relentless and, given the public profile, often unforgiving.
The scope of the all-encompassing role includes media rights negotiations, attempting to monitise digital content and managing relationships with some of the world’s largest consumer brands.
On the home front, it also requires walking the politically charged tightrope between the competing professional and amateur game, with New Zealand’s 26 provincial unions commanding a decisive say on the sport’s governance.
Along with the search for a chief executive, NZ Rugby must also appoint a new chief financial officer and chief commercial officer following Craig Fenton’s departure in January, 11 months into his role as head of commercial.
Losing Yarnie Guthrie, NZR’s general manager of commercial, is another influential loss, as he played a leading role in recruiting new major sponsors.
With all roles reporting to the chief executive, though, NZR must first find Robinson’s replacement before filling those other vacancies.
