Why Hagipantelis was asked to stand down: Inside the power play at the Wests Tigers
Michael Chammas
ByMichael Chammas
October 6, 2023 — 1.26pm
At a board meeting at Wests Tigers’ Concord headquarters in September, club director Tony Andreacchio moved a motion to extend Lee Hagipantelis’ tenure at the club.
It was a recommendation from the nominations committee that was endorsed by both the Balmain and Wests Magpies factions of the joint-venture club. Hagipantelis was informed there was unanimous support at the September 18 meeting for him to continue as a director and as chairman of the joint venture.
Two days later, over lunch at Totti’s in Rozelle with chief executive Justin Pascoe and four News Corp rugby league journalists, Hagipantelis was asked if he felt the independent review that had just been called by the Holman Barnes Group (the 60 per cent majority shareholder of the Tigers) would spell danger for both him and his CEO.
Hagipantelis told reporters, who would later publish an article that reflected the conversation, that he had just received the full support of the board, a show of faith that has become rugby league’s version of the kiss of death.
Like former Tigers head coach Tim Sheens had found out only months earlier, Hagipantelis would soon learn the full support of the board counted for little.
Sources with knowledge of the situation talking under the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality agreements told this masthead that Gary Barnier, one of the two men entrusted to undertake the independent review, voiced his frustration to the Holman Barnes Group.
It’s unclear whether his angst was toward Hagipantelis’ revelation to the media that he had been reappointed, or in fact the reappointment itself.
There was a view that it compromised the review. The next morning, just hours before Hagipantelis was due to speak to the review, his interview was cancelled and later postponed a fortnight. Barnier declined to comment on that specific incident when contacted by this masthead.
Since then interviews have been conducted with dozens of stakeholders, including fans, social media podcasters, politicians, media representatives, player agents and staff. The chairman and CEO, who on Saturday will return from a family holiday in Vietnam, were two of the last scheduled to be interviewed.
Hagipantelis’ revelation to reporters that he had been reappointed was also deemed inappropriate by the Holman Barnes Group, which expressed its displeasure in an email to all directors.
Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe and chairman Lee Hagipantelis.
Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe and chairman Lee Hagipantelis.CREDIT:GETTY
Two days later, Andreacchio - on behalf of the Holman Barnes Group - phoned Hagipantelis and invited him to stand down as chairman. Hagipantelis declined the invitation. He also declined to comment when contacted by this masthead on Friday.
Andreacchio made the point to Hagipantelis that the motion he had moved at the board meeting at the start of that week had not been to extend his chairmanship but rather to extend his tenure as a director.
According to sources who have spoken to Hagipantelis but did not want to betray his trust by being named, the chairman strongly refuted Andreacchio’s assertion and went back to the board minutes to check the motion that had been passed.
Hagipantelis later spoke with other directors at the board meeting, who confirmed the reappointment of Hagipantelis as chairman and that this was recorded in the minutes of the board meeting.
Lee Hagipantelis could be on the way out.
Lee Hagipantelis could be on the way out.CREDIT:GETTY
Hagipantelis also told other Tigers directors that Andreacchio’s concerns were hypocritical considering that on the Tuesday night at the club’s NRLW awards - the night before his lunch with members of the media - Andreacchio had volunteered the news of the chairman’s extension to a member of the Bryden’s Lawyer executive team, of which Hagipantelis is principal.
Andreacchio declined to discuss his correspondence with Hagipantelis or other directors, pointing to the importance of the review currently being undertaken by Barnier and former NRL chief financial officer Tony Crawford.
“This review is critical,” Andreacchio said. “I don’t want anything to hijack it by public commentary out there. What we are trying to achieve is a truly independent review that we can consider to make sure moving forward the Wests Tigers become successful.
“It’s the first truly independent review that we haven’t had our fingers all over. It might take a few weeks or months but it won’t be clouded by innuendo or commentary.”
The Wests Tigers constitution provides for up to nine directors to be appointed. At the moment there are only seven following the resignation of independent director James Myatt a month ago.
Part of the reason the board moved to extend Hagipantelis’s tenure was to ensure the board remained validly constituted. Under the constitution, it has to have at least one independent director at all times. Hagipantelis is the only independent director currently on the board.
At the heart of Hagipantelis’ frustrations is the fact the Holman Barnes Group did not consult other members of the Wests Tigers organisation before committing to the review, which was a response to a petition signed by approximately 2000 supporters.
Hagipantelis, who contributes close to $1m a year to the club through the major sponsorship of his company Bryden’s Lawyers, has told those close to him that he believes the independent review had been arranged to orchestrate a desired outcome - his exit.
He was also aware of an internal push to try and lure former NSW premier and ex-Tigers chairman Barry O’Farrell, as well as former Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, onto the board in some capacity.
Hagipantelis held his interview with the reviewers on Friday morning. In the lead-up, he told those close to him that he was planning to tell Barnier and Crawford that, following conversations with several people who had already been interviewed, he believed the review had been staged and that the recommendation of his removal was a foregone conclusion.
Hagipantelis has also privately questioned the independence of Barnier given he is one of 13 Wests Tigers Foundation members announced on the club’s website that have donated $100,000 to the club over a four-year period.
The Barnier Family is also listed as one of the “Foundation 13” with another $100,000 donation to the club. So too is Hagipantelis and Coates.
Barnier strongly opposes suggestion that his financial contribution means he has a conflict of interest.
“I took the decision to provide money to the club through that Foundation 13, which meant I could contribute - because I can afford to contribute - but I get nothing in return for it,” Barnier told this masthead.
“It’s just like a super-high level of membership, I suppose. That’s the beginning and end of it. I’m not getting paid for this review.
“I’ve offered to do it because of my emotional connection and my family’s emotional connection with the club. That’s all it is. I can’t think of any possible conflict of interest.”
Wests Tigers make pitch for new 20,000-seat stadium at Liverpool
The board is next scheduled to meet on Monday, October 23. Hagipantelis will not give up without a fight, but his position may have become untenable by then. It seems as though either he must go, or the four Holman Barnes-appointed directors (Andreacchio, Rick Wayde, Dennis Burgess and Julie Romero) on the board must go.
It’s hard to imagine the latter, given the Holman Barnes-appointed directors occupy four of the seven positions on the board. If Hagipantelis does go, it is likely he won’t go quietly.
*Reporter Michael Chammas was interviewed as part of the independent governance and culture review into the club.
