The ARU have announced business executive Bill Pulver as John O’Neill’s replacement as ARU CEO. Official release from the ARU follows:
“Highly-regarded international business executive, Bill Pulver, has today been announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of Australian Rugby Union.
Mr Pulver, 53, will start in the role on 1 February following the resignation of John O’Neill AO, last October.
ARU Chairman, Michael Hawker AM, revealed the appointment at a Media Conference in Sydney and spoke to the impressive corporate background of an executive with significant global experience.
Mr Pulver has lived and worked in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, across a diverse range of industries including media, research, internet, sports marketing and linguistics.
“The ARU Board was looking for a specific skill set and, benchmarking against those criteria, we have found the right man for the job,” said Mr Hawker.
“We wanted someone with proven commercial success at CEO level, with international business experience and a love of Rugby.
“The Board also set priorities around good communication skills and an understanding of the world of Sports Marketing and Media.
“Bill has all those attributes. He has enjoyed success in large and small businesses, through growth cycles and tough times.
“He has worked in Japan, the UK, the USA and Australia. His love of Rugby dates back to his school days and he has coached at the junior levels.
“Bill also has an impressive background as President and Chairman of significant Sports Marketing and internet media research companies.”
Mr Pulver maintains strong connections to grassroots Rugby, via the Mosman Junior Rugby Club in Sydney, while his second son Angus was the halfback in the 2012 Australian Schoolboys team.
A product of Shore School, Mr Pulver’s own Rugby career included GPS representation, followed by colts and grade Rugby for University of NSW.
Post-university, he started a 17-year career with global marketing research firm ACNielsen in Australia, rising to the role of Managing Director. He was later based in Tokyo as Group Chief Executive for Japan and Korea.
From 1999-2001, Mr Pulver moved to London as President of ACNielsen eRatings.com, an internet audience measurement operation.
Six years based in New York followed as President of the NASDAQ listed internet media and market research company NetRatings Inc.
From 2008 to 2010, Mr Pulver was Chairman of Repucom International, a global leader in sports marketing research.
His current position is CEO of Appen Butler Hill, a linguistic technology solutions company, where he will finish up at the end of January.
Looking ahead to his latest role in a highly successful corporate career, Mr Pulver said: “I feel privileged and excited to take up this role for the ARU and enter the world of Australian and international Rugby.
“For 20 years I have been a Chief Executive in a diverse range of industries and now I have the opportunity to focus my efforts on this great game, the game I love.
“Today there are many exciting investment opportunities that are capable of igniting growth in our game.
“However, the success of our financial model relies on a passionate and participative supporter base.
“In the short term the challenge for our team in the ARU headquarters is to work with all the game’s stakeholders to ensure Rugby in Australia powers forward as a unified and energised force.
“I would like to see the ARU as an innovative and profitable leader in a prosperous global Rugby community.
“To achieve this I feel there are several guiding principles we need to consider:
· Never forget that we play a team sport for fun, fitness and friendship;
· Acknowledge that in our game Character, Integrity and Team First are paramount;
· Communicate & collaborate relentlessly with all stakeholders to ensure a united approach to achieving our objectives;
· Support every effort in community Rugby to expand participation in the game, including a focus on encouraging the involvement of women;
· Embrace Rugby Sevens as a major growth opportunity;
· In a world where our supporters are distracted by an endless range of entertainment options, we must aim to constantly enhance the our entertainment experience; and
· Maintain a high performance culture to be the No. 1 team in the world.
“2013 is going to be a wonderful year for Australian Rugby with 14 Test matches scheduled for the Wallabies, including the British & Irish Lions, The Rugby Championship, the Bledisloe Cup and the Spring tour to Europe to wrap it all up.
“With tens of thousands of British and Irish tourists about to invade our shores for a very special event that occurs just once every 12 years, I urge all Australian supporters to purchase tickets for the entire family when they go on sale on Monday 18 February.
“Help make sure that the gold of our supporters outnumber the red army of the Lions’ fans at every game.”
Mr Pulver is married with four children.”
Johnno
Guest
Love it Boomeranga ha ha. If pidgeon can rise to a better level in life, then there is hope for everyone else.
Boomeranga
Roar Rookie
I'm glad you smiled Johnno. I read roar a lot and sometimes worry you are carrying too many worries on your shoulders. On the mosman point, I'd like to just point out that even Oh Ah Glen McGrath started in a van park, but he ended up on 10 acres in Dural once he had some success.
Johnno
Guest
ha ha boomeranga, you almost made me fall off my chair. Good thinking i like your idea, i have the perfect candidate for the ARU Tommy Raudonikis, he could be your man, or th e1970's version of paul hogan before he got rich with crocodile dundee lol. Funny . You do have a point, maybe it's better to have a suite than, an old good old aussy bloke who still calls beer tinnies.
Boomeranga
Roar Rookie
We should have hired a bankrupt brickies labourer from Roxby Downs (provided he drinks weak tea instead of this fancy Cafe Latte stuff from Gregans Coffee Club somewhere in he North Snore).
Johnno
Guest
He was a half back sheek, you were a forwad I bet you he wouldn't of wanted too run into you in your prime. You would of tackled the Shoremen strongly, he wouldn't run down your channel again, lol. He did remind me of JON on so many levels, just a younger version, surprisingly there paths have never met, apparently they have never met. Oh well Mick Hawker got his man , his old 1st 15 teammate.
Johnno
Guest
Throw in Deans who lives in Mosman, and George Gregan who is on the ARU board too, who also lives on the North Shore. And George gregans son also goes to SHORE, just like Micheal hawker and Bill Pulver went to SHORE. How convenient. Oh and I fogrot to add Phil Kearns is also a Mosman resident,and wait for it. Phil Kearns is the current president of the GPS. Hpw convienient all round . And JON and Gary Blowers, and Bruce Hayman were all ex-GPS boys too, how convenient. Is Bill Pulver just a like for like for JON , on many levels he is highly similar.
sheek
Roar Guru
AD, What worries me is that Pulver is a slightly younger, smaller, but reddish version of me (once black hair, quickly greying) with a similar ruddy cheeks, double chin & similar ski-slope nose. not to mention mini-me pudgy gut. But his bank account is much bigger than mine! ;-)
sheek
Roar Guru
The Old Golds, ehhhh.....
Renee Matey
Guest
He's better than the League head honcho: at least he knows the name of our Test captain! Too early to tell, but they way he handled the media through his daughter's trials was very impressive - calm and articulate. Obviously he will need these traits in spades in the near future.
True Fan
Guest
Hawker is Pulver's friend and went to school with him. Plus Pulver is next door neighbour to Eales...in Mosman. These are facts And both Hawker and Eales were on the selection committee. Very convenient
Fatty
Guest
To clarify an issue and ask a question.... 1 Hawker 'meant' to have finished school 1976 but repeated in 1977....and got picked to go on schoolboys tour that year 2 Wasn't selection handed over to a 3 man committee with Hawker at arms length? I seem to recall Farr-Jones and Eales as 2 of the 3 ?3rd
Nowared
Guest
well he has a much better playing track record than his predecessor who was a lower grade winger for Easts don't know what's wrong with some of you people - his credentials are impeccable - pointless being shitty because he was educated at a private school - The NRL would would love to be able to attract candidates of his quality
eagleJack
Guest
I thought he handled himself quite well. Particularly on the Quade Cooper issue. The sponsors will certainly be happy with his appointment. "Im looking forward to The Castrol Rugby Championship" "The Wallabies, er Qantas Wallabies" ....
Colvin
Guest
Well, he seems to have made the right noises so far. But he has a lot going against him. He was a BACK! We all know about backs. They're the pretty ones. They stand behind where the work is being done, posing for the crowd and media and prancing about in most cases nowhere near the ball. They get all the glory, score most of the tries, don't end up with lifelong rugby symbols of valour on their faces proudly earned through work at the coalface. It's even been heard of for some backs to wear makeup. In the old days backs ended up as lawyers and doctors and we all know what we think about lawyers, in particular. But let's give him a chance. The fact that it is his dream job is a plus. He wants to make the WBs world number 1 in the short term. That's a plus. As a AB tragic all I can say is bring it on, Bill.
blind freddie
Guest
It sure does smell of the old boys network,but we should give the guy a fair go. Haven't seen anything from the ARU in terms of what is expected of him. It's not a one one man show or at least shouldn't be. We will all have our own opinion of what should be achieved but it would be good if the ARU could enunciate something that might set some priorities for Mr Pulver. Expansion of the grassroots base of the game, increased media coverage and success of the super rugby and national terams, financial stability all desirable but which gets most attention?
Moppy
Guest
Fair enough.
Jiggles
Roar Guru
I really see this as another inside the tent old boys selection. I really hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.
Jock
Guest
Just watched him on 7.30 report. I thought he was very "positive" about oz rugby without much reference to the issues. personally i would have loved to have heard language like "we've got some work to do" rather then the high level corporate speak and denial which after 2012 particularly worries me. Hopefully its just early...
PeterK
Roar Guru
I find it hard to believe that the new CEO will grow the game outside of the traditional areas. The MOST important change is to get rugby played in PUBLIC schools. A shift away from relying on the private schools and PI imports for the australian rugby depth. No way do I see this guy diminishing the importance and reliance on the private schools. The next most important growth area is growing rugby in the working class strongholds in Sydney and Brisbane ie GWS and the country in NSW, similarly for Qld. Once again from his background I cannot see him doing this, he is used to rugby being an elitist sport. The 3rd most important thing is growing / supporting rugby more outside of NSW/Qld. This is the only area I feel he may do. I would of preferred a real outsider to shake the establishment / traditions up, make the changes that are needed. I do not see a guy from the establishment doing this. The old boy network rules supreme.
Red Kev
Guest
Heh heh, I don't believe I have ever used the word stakeholders without rolling my eyes.