Can anyone post the story... although the first paragraph gives it away a bit... hmmm, former CEO đ¤
âSad day for the clubâ: Wests Tigers slammed over Richo dealâ
Apr 29, 2024 08:00AM
A former Wests Tigers chair has claimed Shane Richardsonâs appointment by âinterimâ chairman Barry OâFarrell was âcorporate governance failureâ and a âclosed shop.â
NRL: The Wests Tigers have picked up another recruit from the Panthers, as well as extended the contract of CEO Shane Richardson.
Sydney lawyer Nick Di Girolamo claimed the lack of governance behind Richardsonâs selection by âinterimâ chairman Barry OâFarrell was a âsad day for the club.â
Di Girolamo had been endorsed for the Wests Tigers CEO position by Balmain Tigers legend Ben Elias.
Away from rugby league, businessman Di Girolamo came to prominence in 2014 when he sent OâFarrell a $3000 bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage wine â a gift which led to OâFarrellâs downfall as NSW Premier following an ICAC investigation. OâFarrell was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.
Richardson was appointed interim Tigers CEO last December after an independent governance and culture review at the club.
Wests Tigers formally appointed Richardson to a four-year deal last Friday â an announcement which was condemned by Di Girolamo.
âIf the chair (OâFarrell) is oblivious to such corporate governance failure then itâs a very sad day for the club,â he said.
âThe problem with the appointment was there wasnât an independent, transparent process.
âIt seems like it was a closed shop and thatâs disappointing from a club perspective.
âIf thatâs how the club is going to behave under the current interim chairman, they are going to go backwards.
âItâs not a proper process. Proper corporate governance 101 is running a transparent process. Thatâs standard corporate governance procedure when youâre looking to appoint a full-time CEO.
âThere is a fair dinkum process through a recruiter, who gets together with members of the board and they interview the top 10 candidates.
âItâs text book. What isnât text book, it seems to me, is for any interim chair, of his own volition, to appoint an interim CEO to a four-year term without going to market.
âYou go and get a headhunter and give them six weeks for people to apply for the role. A proper process calls for the invitation of applications.â
Di Girolamo is an ex-Wests Tigers chairman, deputy chairman and Balmain Tigers director.
In December, Elias backed Di Girolamo as a âgreat candidate for a major role in the clubâs operation.â
On Monday, Di Girolamo said: âMy name was bandied around (as a candidate). I was humbled that an icon of the game (Elias) threw my hat in the ring and publicly supported me.
âWould I have thrown my hat in the ring? Probably, yes. Would I have got the gig? I donât know. But the issue is no-one else got a chance to throw their hat in the ring either.
âIf youâre talking about proper corporate governance then you have to run a process; go to market and put an ad in the paper like every other club does.â
Asked whether an interim chairman had the authority to make such long-term decisions, Di Girolamo said: âI donât know what power he (OâFarrell) has been given by the shareholders.
âIt seems to me the shareholders donât fully understand corporate governance either.â
This masthead reached out to Wests Tigers for a response but the club did not want to comment.
âThe decision has been made and we are moving forward as a club,â a Wests Tigers spokesman said.
Announcing Richardsonâs long-term appointment last Friday, OâFarrell said in a media statement: âShane has done a tremendous job since taking over as interim CEO, impressing supporters, staff and sponsors.
âIt was a âno-brainerâ for the board to secure his services for the future. No club can afford to let champions go, whether on the field or in the front officeâ
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