Ext User(Birdman)
14-11-2005, 11:07 AM
Bloodless Tiger change
By Michael Gleeson
November 14, 2005
AFTER more than 12 months of rare peace and harmony, Richmond
president Clinton Casey has quit the club's board, hoping his
replacement by vice-president Gary March and the election of the
club's first female director will continue the calm at Punt Road Oval.
Casey stood aside from the club, citing heavy business commitments and
ushered in his deputy in what is hoped will be a seamless transition.
March was unanimously appointed the new president of the club at a
board meeting on Saturday after Casey announced his decision to step
down. Club directors had known Casey was considering his position as
president for some time as his businesses enter merger negotiations.
US-born superannuation lawyer Peggy Haines, who is a partner with city
commercial law firm Freehills, will take Casey's position on the
board. Maurice O'Shannassy was elected the new vice-president.
"I have looked at my business commitments for next year and there is a
lot of interstate and overseas travel and I know that I can't do
justice to both of those roles," Casey said yesterday.
"The board unanimously appointed Gary as the new president, which was
always our view of how it should be under the succession planning."
March, who joined the board in 2002 and is the chief executive of
Concept Sports, is adamant his presidency is for the long term. "It's
certainly not a caretaker position. It was not a decision anyone on
the board took lightly," March said. "So it is a permanent position
and will remain so as long as the board wants me to remain president.
"It's not going to change much and that is why Clinton had a desire
the appointment come from the existing board so that the stability we
have had over the last 18 months continues. Clinton has offered a bit
of a mentoring role which I am certainly going to take up and he has
said he will stay around and help any way he can."
Football director Greg Miller, who publicly declared his allegiance to
Casey's ticket in the bitter board election at the end of 2004, vowing
he would quit the club if Casey was not elected, said neither his
position nor that of coach Terry Wallace would be affected by Casey's
decision.
"We have spoken to Terry as well and we are all comfortable with the
new regime," Miller said. "Look, I have tried to talk Clinton out of
this because he has just been outstanding for the club."
Haines, who is originally from Virginia, migrated to Australia in 1989
and, after moving into the suburb of Richmond, decided to adopt the
club as her own.
Having been involved with a range of Richmond coterie groups, she was
recently short-listed by the AFL for a seat on the commission before
the appointment of Sam Mostyn. Haines is also the chair the Law
Council of Australia's superannuation committee and a member of the
boards or committees of a range of other non-professional
organisations.
"I will be the first (woman) at Richmond but hopefully not the last -
the first of many I would think," Haines said.
Since the divisive election campaign when Casey's ticket was
aggressively challenged but ultimately strongly endorsed by the
membership, the club has had a stunning turnaround in fortunes. Then
the Tigers were bottom of the ladder, heavily in debt and did not have
a chief executive or coach.
Now they have a long-term contract with a high-profile experienced
coach in Terry Wallace, a new chief executive in Steven Wright, have
had a strategic plan drafted by respected consultant Crowe-Lovett and
have enjoyed a period of almost uncharacteristic boardroom calm.
The club will soon announce a profit of about $35,000 - a significant
improvement on the $2.2 million loss of last year and the $880,000
loss of 2003. Next year it is budgeting for a profit of about
$150,000. "We are a different club than we were 16 months ago," March
said
By Michael Gleeson
November 14, 2005
AFTER more than 12 months of rare peace and harmony, Richmond
president Clinton Casey has quit the club's board, hoping his
replacement by vice-president Gary March and the election of the
club's first female director will continue the calm at Punt Road Oval.
Casey stood aside from the club, citing heavy business commitments and
ushered in his deputy in what is hoped will be a seamless transition.
March was unanimously appointed the new president of the club at a
board meeting on Saturday after Casey announced his decision to step
down. Club directors had known Casey was considering his position as
president for some time as his businesses enter merger negotiations.
US-born superannuation lawyer Peggy Haines, who is a partner with city
commercial law firm Freehills, will take Casey's position on the
board. Maurice O'Shannassy was elected the new vice-president.
"I have looked at my business commitments for next year and there is a
lot of interstate and overseas travel and I know that I can't do
justice to both of those roles," Casey said yesterday.
"The board unanimously appointed Gary as the new president, which was
always our view of how it should be under the succession planning."
March, who joined the board in 2002 and is the chief executive of
Concept Sports, is adamant his presidency is for the long term. "It's
certainly not a caretaker position. It was not a decision anyone on
the board took lightly," March said. "So it is a permanent position
and will remain so as long as the board wants me to remain president.
"It's not going to change much and that is why Clinton had a desire
the appointment come from the existing board so that the stability we
have had over the last 18 months continues. Clinton has offered a bit
of a mentoring role which I am certainly going to take up and he has
said he will stay around and help any way he can."
Football director Greg Miller, who publicly declared his allegiance to
Casey's ticket in the bitter board election at the end of 2004, vowing
he would quit the club if Casey was not elected, said neither his
position nor that of coach Terry Wallace would be affected by Casey's
decision.
"We have spoken to Terry as well and we are all comfortable with the
new regime," Miller said. "Look, I have tried to talk Clinton out of
this because he has just been outstanding for the club."
Haines, who is originally from Virginia, migrated to Australia in 1989
and, after moving into the suburb of Richmond, decided to adopt the
club as her own.
Having been involved with a range of Richmond coterie groups, she was
recently short-listed by the AFL for a seat on the commission before
the appointment of Sam Mostyn. Haines is also the chair the Law
Council of Australia's superannuation committee and a member of the
boards or committees of a range of other non-professional
organisations.
"I will be the first (woman) at Richmond but hopefully not the last -
the first of many I would think," Haines said.
Since the divisive election campaign when Casey's ticket was
aggressively challenged but ultimately strongly endorsed by the
membership, the club has had a stunning turnaround in fortunes. Then
the Tigers were bottom of the ladder, heavily in debt and did not have
a chief executive or coach.
Now they have a long-term contract with a high-profile experienced
coach in Terry Wallace, a new chief executive in Steven Wright, have
had a strategic plan drafted by respected consultant Crowe-Lovett and
have enjoyed a period of almost uncharacteristic boardroom calm.
The club will soon announce a profit of about $35,000 - a significant
improvement on the $2.2 million loss of last year and the $880,000
loss of 2003. Next year it is budgeting for a profit of about
$150,000. "We are a different club than we were 16 months ago," March
said