Super Rugby Pacific chief executive hunt begins; role unlikely to be filled for start of 2024 season

Damian McKenzie in full flight for the Chiefs against the Brumbies during the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season. Photo / Photosport

The person tasked with leading Super Rugby Pacific into a bright new era is not likely to be in the role until after the 2024 season has begun.

Applications for the newly created Super Rugby Pacific chief executive role opened this week, with the successful candidate to have the competition as their sole focus. Applications don’t close until the end of January, meaning the process is expected to be ongoing deep into February.

Speaking to the Herald, Robert Walters chief executive Shay Peters, who leads the recruitment company tasked with finding the right candidate, said they were hoping to get someone in the Sydney-based role as soon as possible but that it may take some time.

“It’s generally four to six weeks after [applications close] in terms of the actual recruitment process – probably four weeks – then it’ll be dependent on what the notice period for the successful candidate is,” Peters said.

“Candidates at this level can have a one-month notice period or a three-month notice period or possibly a six-month notice period, but I imagine in that instance we will be able to see a candidate able to negotiate and be able to start the role sooner.”

Four weeks from the January 31 closing date for applications would be February 28. The competition starts on February 23.

In previous years, the competition has been overseen by the various national bodies involved, under the guise of Sanzaar. With the establishment of a separate governing body, the success of Super Rugby Pacific will be their primary focus.

“What they’re looking for here is they’re looking for increased fan engagement, they’re looking for increased player engagement, and so I believe someone with a skill set of being able to drive innovation in the sporting arena will be highly successful in this role,” Peters said of what they’re looking for in a candidate.

“From a player engagement perspective, what I think they’re wanting to see is genuine interest from players to want and remain in the game for as long as possible to be able to bring their talent to Super Rugby Pacific Competition and look to develop it and extend it there.”

Earlier this month, Mark Robinson and Phil Waugh, chief executives of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and Rugby Australia respectively, and Super Rugby Pacific board chairman Kevin Malloy met to discuss ways forward for the competition.

It came after some harsh feedback in the NZR governance review, which warned that the competition needed to be reinvented as fans of the sport struggled to engage with it in its current form; the most recent iteration of Super Rugby Pacific being described to the review panel as “a dog’s breakfast”.

“It’s been a successful product for a long time, but now they’re looking to really amp up the success of the product across both countries,” Peters said.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.