Commissioners to be named by end of month: Pappas
Brad Walter
April 2, 2011
RUGBY LEAGUE'S new independent commission remains on track to be finalised by the end of the month, despite delays yesterday in selecting the inaugural commissioners.
A three-hour meeting between News Ltd chief operating officer Peter Macourt, ARL chairman John Chalk, QRL director Terry Mackenroth and South Sydney chairman Nicholas Pappas narrowed down the number of candidates but did not settle on the final eight names.
However, Pappas, who represents the NRL clubs on the four-man subcommittee charged with making the most important appointments since the end of the Super League war in 1997, said progress had been made and he expected the handover of power to coincide with the April 30 deadline imposed by News Ltd in February.
''It was a positive meeting, the members of the subcommittee are working well together, and there was good debate about some of the candidates,'' he said. ''But there is still some work to do before we get down to the final list of names.''
The four were each required to sign confidentiality agreements at the start of the meeting by international consultancy firm Spencer Stuart, which was hired in December to facilitate the appointment of the eight commissioners.
It has been a drawn-out process, with Spencer Stuart's head of board services and chief executive practices, John Mumm, an Australian Rugby Union director, producing an initial shortlist of 168 candidates.
Since then the members of the subcommittee have been able to individually remove names from the list - although the Herald understands that neither Pappas nor Chalk removed anyone.
It is believed about 30 candidates remained before yesterday's meeting but there were concerns that they might not fill each of the job descriptions for the eight commissioners.
''It is important not just that we get the right individuals but also the right complexion of the board,'' Pappas said. ''We have to make sure that there is a balance in the skills sets and the complexion of the board.''
Among those believed to be under consideration for positions on the independent commission are former Billabong chairman Garry Pemberton, former TAB boss Warren Wilson, former federal police commissioner Mick Keelty, media buyer Barry O'Brien, IT guru John Grant - a former international forward - and former ARL boss John Quayle.
The four members of the subcommittee must form a consensus on each candidate before they are invited. The list of eight names will then be forwarded to the ARL board and News Ltd for approval, in what could be the final act of each organisation before departing the game.
The ARL will remain in name only, with the new body to be known as the ARL Commission.
The NSWRL and QRL will administer the game in their states and have charge of their State of Origin teams, but the commission will oversee the running of the code from grassroots to the elite level, and decide big issues such as funding, expansion and broadcast rights.
