McGeoch World Cup's Mr Fixit

Rod McGeoch

Rod McGeoch, the man who won the Olympic Games bid for Sydney in 2000, might tell jokes and act the pussycat at a business breakfast, but get him one-to-one and he expects action.

You need to know who he's talking about, understand the issues. You also need shorthand.

The tall, broad-shouldered Aussie speaks fluently, thinks faster. He loves organising, thrives on negotiation, challenge and conflict, doesn't downplay his successes, is well aware of his talents, expertise and cut-through - to a point that could well infuriate his rivals.

Everything is organised. He's there when we arrive, has a car ordered for precisely 1 1/4 hours later. (And the driver is aware he needs to collect McGeoch's luggage from his hotel en route to the airport.)

It is this sort of attention to detail that made McGeoch the right man to help the New Zealand Rugby Football Union win the right to stage the 2011 World Cup.

Before McGeoch, the NZRFU had not visited Eden Park box-holders to ask if they would waive their rights during the Cup.

Under McGeoch, each box-holder got two personal visits, and made a commitment to donate their box to the cause free, before the bid even went ahead.

When voting delegates visited Sydney during their Olympic bid, McGeoch organised the traffic lights to turn green when they were inspecting proposed facilities.

"That's what it takes to win."

This time, delegates wouldn't be visiting New Zealand officially before their decision, but what they would observe was how New Zealand handled the Lions tour.

"I think New Zealand Rugby was very wise to say to itself, 'We've got to have a professional bid. Why don't we get another group, while we make sure the Lions tour is perfect, because that's our best advertising'."

McGeoch saw his role as "sharpening the focus of what it takes to create a winning bid".

The strategy included ensuring unreserved Government support (including Prime Minister Helen Clark fronting for the final presentation); delivering clean grounds (which includes resuming the right to occupy everybody's commercial box - and box-holders have to do it as a favour, some of them have legal rights); preparing a budget that's highly credible; creating accommodation and transport plans.

McGeoch's skills are well honed. His successful Olympic bids include Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, and London (where he advised the Government rather than working as part of the bid team) in 2012. He also chaired AMP's bid on airports and helps Saatchi & Saatchi pitch for new clients.

"The bidding thing's in my blood," he says. "My wife, Deeta, says I'm the most competitive person in the world. I think I'm pretty relaxed, but when I'm in my bid mode I have an enormous focus on winning and so I just sit there, trying to create additional edge all the time.

"When you're bidding you just can't take no as an answer."

The bid team met every week in Wellington. Members included former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, Air New Zealand chairman John Palmer, Westpac Stadium chairman Paul Collins and the NZRFU's Chris Moller and Jock Hobbs. McGeoch attended half physically and did the rest by video link or conference call.

Part of the strategy was to encourage Hobbs and Moller to visit all voting members of the IRB board in their home countries.

"It was an extended trip," says McGeoch, who advised them to load up with World Cup 2011 ties, cufflinks and game plans.

"I gave them a whole range of advice about managing that trip, what to take, techniques about how to raise things in discussion."

He also encouraged them to take an administration person along to organise the dinners and taxis and book the hotels.

"That way they could focus on the personal relationships," says McGeoch. "The worst thing you can do when overseas as a delegate is to be under-resourced."

Meanwhile, McGeoch spent time with the marketing people developing the 45-minute presentation to the IRB in London in October.

"We were trying to get a creative edge over the others while communicating all the messages you need."

He also wanted to control the space in Dublin when South Africa, Japan and New Zealand lined up to make their bids.

"I said: 'Let's make sure we control the foyer of the hotel. Let's make sure they only serve New Zealand wine out of the bar. That when Colin Meads is standing there it's only Steinlager - so New Zealand's got the space'.

"We didn't do some of that in the end because it wasn't necessary, but I'm like that ... If I'd thought a box-holder was going to hold out on me I'd have encouraged the committee to get the Prime Minister to ring. This time round you looked at what the requirements were and said: I'm going to deliver on every one of them. Whatever it takes."

In the end, what it took was a mirror of McGeoch's opening list: "Unreserved Government commitment (and the other two bids couldn't claim that); a first-class technical bid; and the quality leadership of Hobbs and Moller, two very highly regarded rugby officials."

McGeoch rates Hobbs highly. "He's a born leader, he exudes immense integrity and, of course, he's an All Black. One day he'll be head of the IRB."

What McGeoch wants now is for New Zealanders, who were kept in the dark for fear of getting over-hyped before the bid, can see the books, brochures and videos - and the intrinsic message - that won it. Though some of it sneaked out in parts of Tana Umaga's speech. "We are an audience of four million people ... It's not the All Blacks but it's All Rugby".

"It's as good as anything produced for the Olympics," says McGeoch. "And I ought to know!"

Australians, especially, hint at problems round McGeoch. They say he is a big noter, so full of his own importance he is now working in New Zealand most of the time.

McGeoch, 59, and Deeta, a PR executive, live in Woollahra with their two grown daughters, Lucie and Anna. His early career in law included a stint as president of the New South Wales Law Society (the second-youngest to hold the position) which earned him an Order of Australia gong. He is mad about sport: rugby ("I haven't missed a representative rugby game in 40 years"), tennis, golf.

After the Olympic bid he began his career as company director and international consultant. "It's Rod McGeoch Inc. Just me and Hayley, my secretary."

He is on three sizeable New Zealand boards: Telecom, SkyCity (chairman) and Gullivers.

McGeoch is also involved with the Australian Leadership Dialogue, an association created to reinvigorate and renew closer economic relations.

"I'm committed to Australia and New Zealand maintaining these historic ties."

McGeoch is also chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi on both sides of the Tasman, spends around half of his working life in New Zealand, and "I take virtually all my holidays here".

"We're keen wine people," says McGeoch, who owns a vineyard in the Hunter Valley. "We think the wine and food scene in New Zealand is really exciting."

People also question why, after his brilliant performance during their Olympic bid, the Aussies dropped McGeoch as non-executive director of the organising committee.

McGeoch answers candidly: "New South Wales appointed a Cabinet minister in charge of the games and we had a major, major, falling out."

Sifting through McGeoch's unusually veiled comments, it seems some took exception to McGeoch being dubbed "Mr Olympics". There were also rumours that McGeoch, with his tanned good looks and gift for getting the message across, was considering politics himself.

Wrong. "You'll never see me run for office." Why? "I just don't want to lead that sort of life."

Certainly, any political aspirations would be dampened by his anger at Australia's vote against New Zealand in Dublin.

"Bear in mind, I gave a personal address to the Australian Rugby Board with Jock Hobbs and Chris Moller, all dressed up in my New Zealand bid outfit, with the black and white striped tie with the Silver Fern and All Rugby 2011 on it," he says.

"I said: I want you guys to remember the importance of the relationship - the fact that Hobbs and I are on this Government thing together. I spoke about how you don't put an international event like this into an experimental market [Japan].

"I think the way they [Australia] voted showed a considerable amount of naivety. It was an incorrect vote, I was extremely disappointed and I said so, and I don't resile from that."