HBG, Independent Directors Sacked

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Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V’landys has made good on his promise to investigate Wests Tigers’ corporate governance by meeting with the club’s four sacked independent directors on Tuesday afternoon.

The development comes as pressure grows on Dennis Burgess – the chairman of the club’s majority owner, the Holman Barnes Group – to stand down. His future is likely to come to a head next week.

“There are no further decisions or changes that have been made about the Wests Tigers board at the moment,” a HBG spokesperson said. “The next board meeting is scheduled for December 15.”

Shane Richardson quit as Tigers chief executive on Monday after deciding he couldn’t work with the HBG, just a week after it sacked independent Tigers directors Barry O’Farrell, Annabelle Williams, Charlie Viola and Michelle McDowell.

Despite having representation on the Tigers board, HBG claimed it was left out of key decisions such as the team’s stadia policy. It’s a claim that prompted a legal letter from the sacked directors, resulting in a video from HBG chief executive Daniel Paton being taken down from the company’s website.

The developments have piqued the interest of Liquor & Gaming NSW, the body that sacked the Parramatta Leagues Club board in 2016 for having ceased to be an effective governing body. The state’s liquor and gaming watchdog stated “we are monitoring these latest developments involving the board.”

So, too, is the NRL. V’landys has already spoken to Paton, who assured him HBG was not trying to squeeze Balmain out of the joint venture. On, Tuesday he invited O’Farrell, Williams, Viola and McDowell to provide their version of events at his Racing NSW headquarters in Sydney.

O’Farrell and V’landys were contacted for comment. V’landys has previously stated he will look into the matter.

“We want to make sure [the internal power battle] doesn’t affect the running of the football club,” V’landys said on Saturday.

“We want to make sure that [coach] Benji Marshall and the players are quarantined from all of this drama. It’s important because they need to prepare for next season without these worries, so we need to make sure that they will be quarantined from any drama.

“In the interim, we will speak to all parties to see what has caused this instability.”

The NRL’s integrity unit is also following up a whistleblower complaint against Richardson to decide whether there is any substance to the allegations. The HBG is deciding whether to launch its own probe, which could affect Richardson’s payout.

“He’s just given his resignation,” a HBG spokesperson said. “Nothing has been finalised in terms of financial settlement, and it is not appropriate to discuss any commercial terms”.


Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne has called for disgruntled Tigers fans to march from Pratten Park to Wests Ashfield as part of a protest rally on Saturday to demand the resignation of the HBG board.

Former Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis said he was unsure which direction the club will go in the future.

“It will be interesting to see what Holman Barnes does,” Hagipantelis told SEN radio.

“Of course, two years ago they favoured that [independent] review and in accordance with those recommendations they appointed an independent board – that lasted 18 months or so.

“They weren’t happy with the delegation of authority to the extent that it was. They’ve made that very, very clear. Moving forward, what are they going to do?

“Are they going to replace the independents with more independents and just constrain them? Or are they going to stack the board with more Wests Magpies acolytes? It remains to be seen.”
 
Other than Lee having a big mouth and ego, I’m not sure he was that bad in hindsight. Just a bad conflict of interest with the sponsorship.

I’m no fan of his but he’s a lot better credentialed chairman than the no talent sex fiend currently chairman.
 
weststigerman said:
Other than Lee having a big mouth and ego, I’m not sure he was that bad in hindsight. Just a bad conflict of interest with the sponsorship.

I’m no fan of his but he’s a lot better credentialed chairman than the no talent sex fiend currently chairman.
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Lee was almost as bad but in a different way imho,i am positive that he saw the club as a assett that he could use for publicity to promote himself and his company.Neither Lee or HBG has our clubs best interests at the top of their priorities.
 
Well at least that seems to confirms HBG walked back from its statement and removed the CEO video re the sacked WT board members.

The HBG ‘facts’ may be a little blurry now.🤦‍♂️

“Despite having representation on the Tigers board, HBG claimed it was left out of key decisions such as the team’s stadia policy. That claim prompted a legal letter from the sacked directors, resulting in a video from HBG chief executive Daniel Paton being taken down from the company’s website”.
 
tigertragic said:
Well at least that seems to confirms HBG walked back from its statement and removed the CEO video re the sacked WT board members.

The HBG ‘facts’ may be a little blurry now.🤦‍♂️

“Despite having representation on the Tigers board, HBG claimed it was left out of key decisions such as the team’s stadia policy. That claim prompted a legal letter from the sacked directors, resulting in a video from HBG chief executive Daniel Paton being taken down from the company’s website”.
Click to expand...
 
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jadtiger said:
Lee was almost as bad but in a different way imho,i am positive that he saw the club as a assett that he could use for publicity to promote himself and his company.Neither Lee or HBG has our clubs best interests at the top of their priorities.
Click to expand...
Self promo,he should have been lynched by the crowd how he disrespected Tommy's day
 
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