BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Basically two warring factions at HBG. Now we know why Dennis Burgess mysteriously returned to our interim board in place of Dave Gilbert.
WT Ownership, The Board & Senior Management - MEGA Thread
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Pascoes_barber
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Amazing. What an absolute shit pile of an organisation.
rihannafan1
Well-known member
What a crazy story. It just gets better and better. These idiots can't help themselves.
Can someone explain though? I thought these guys were for the change in the board and were helping with that and the group aligned with Romero appeared to not be okay with the change to the board, and were making it difficult.
Can someone explain though? I thought these guys were for the change in the board and were helping with that and the group aligned with Romero appeared to not be okay with the change to the board, and were making it difficult.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
The following is from an article in SMH recently …
However, the ascension of Julie Romero to chairman of the Holman Barnes Group in February has resulted in Geoff Squires (Magpies) and Dave Gilbert (HBG) being replaced by former Tigers director Dennis Burgess and Steve Montgomery respectively.
Halbrowne61
Well-known member
So what the hell is that all about ?
NRL 2025: Wests Tigers owners Holman Barnes Group bans three directors from venues as board war erupts
A dramatic boardroom spat has developed at the majority owners of the Wests Tigers after three Holman Barnes Group board members were sensationally banned from entering venues owned by the corporation.
Michael Carayannis and Brent Read
A dramatic boardroom brawl has developed at the owners of the Wests Tigers after three board members were sensationally banned from entering any venue under the control of the Holman Barnes Group.
Staff were issued a club-wide email obtained by this masthead, which states that long-term board members Tony Andreacchio and Rick Wayde, plus fellow board member and ex-Cricket NSW CEO David Gilbert, were “excluded from entering the club and all club premises”.
The email doesn’t explain why the trio have been banned.
Aside from owning the Wests Tigers, the Holman Barnes Group operates three clubs including Wests Ashfield, Croydon Sports and Markets Club.
The email – sent by Holman Barnes Group’s executive manager of HR and culture, Michelle Nielsen, names the trio and states that they are excluded from entering “the club’s bars, restaurants, gyms, archives and carpark across all three Holman Barnes Group venues”.
“Should any of these gentlemen attempt to access the club or any of its facilities please notify the venue manager who should kindly ask them to leave,” Nielsen wrote.
“The venue manager should then report the incident directly to our CEO Simon Cook.”
Holman Barnes Group director David Gilbert is among those banned.
As is director Tony Andreacchio.
And director Rick Wayde.
Gilbert is on the board of the Tigers, while Andreacchio and Wayde have previously served on the board.
Gilbert is the Holman Barnes Group’s representative on the Tigers board after sweeping changes to the structure of the club last year which resulted in chief executive Justin Pascoe and chairman Lee Hagipantelis being removed from their respective positions.
Gilbert and Andreacchio were uncontactable on Thursday night while Wayde would not comment.
However, it is understood the trio have taken legal advice over the decision, setting the scene for a legal bunfight involving powerbrokers within the Tigers’ majority owner.
Cook and Holman Barnes chair Julie Romero have also been approached for comment.
Romero replaced Andreacchio as chair in April.
It is understood the trio are on one side of the fractured Holman Barnes Group board, with three other directors aligned with Romero.
The Tigers have been embroiled in boardroom ructions for some time, in part because Holman Barnes Group directors were not on the same page.
Email listing Wests Tigers board members banned from Holman Barnes-operated venues.
The Tigers have been protected — to an extent — from the drama within their ownership, although Gilbert is currently a member of the revised Tigers board after the club underwent governance reform that led to former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell becoming the Tigers’ new chair.
The Tigers are currently in the process of forming a new board with the vast majority of independent directors after a review of the club’s structure recommended that the Holman Barnes Group give up their stranglehold on the club’s board. Only last week did the Tigers advertise for independent non-executive directors.
The fear is that drama within the Holman Barnes Group will filter into the Tigers’ operations, causing instability as second-year coach Benji Marshall and chief executive Shane Richardson attempt to steady a ship that has been sinking for nearly a decade.
Can anyone offer an explanation ?
weststigerman
Well-known member
What an odd email to send out. No words to explain this mess.
Kaito
Well-known member
Julie Romero is moving like the Godmother lol
BlackWhiteGold
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Blazer Brigade A (Romero, Burgess, Montgomery) v Blazer Brigade B (Wayde, Andreachhio, Gilbert) in the HBG Empire Wars episode 2. Not sure who is the dark side though!!! Anyone?
innsaneink
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amateurs
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jrtiger
Well-known member
the finalising of the matrix means that the legal agreements and changes to the WT constitution have been enacted.
HBG is a horrorshow, but I think we are thankfully out of the woods.
HBG is a horrorshow, but I think we are thankfully out of the woods.
liltiger
Well-known member
Being crass basically it's like saying the shit I did yesterday is better than the diharrea I did today. Crap is crap
rihannafan1
Well-known member
Okay. Can you explain how the matrix and legal agreements have led to this? How are we out of the woods?
WestsTigers4VR
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Same a little confused here
cochise
Well-known member
The idea of getting the independents onto the board was to get HBG, Balmain and the Magpies an arm's length away from the club.
This report shows why that was so important.
Mighty_Tiger
Well-known member
Wouldn’t be Christmas without the annual gift of a boardroom controversy from these awesome individuals. Now our year is complete!
Mighty_Tiger
Well-known member
If only that is what was communicated.
cochise
Well-known member
What part wasn't communicated?
jrtiger
Well-known member
in order for the skills matrix to be developed, finalised and released, both HBG and WT needed to sign the legal agreements required to confirm the changes to the corporate governance of WT.
with the matrix going out and the independent director recruitment process now underway, it means that these legal documents have been signed, therefore removing WT from the dumpster fire that is the Holman Barnes Group.
rihannafan1
Well-known member
Thanks mate. So the last paragraph about this being destabilising to the club is BS, like it sounds, because this HBG nonsense involves people who no longer or very soon will not have a say with us?
Masterton
Well-known member
FMD. Will it ever end?
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