Crusaders and Canterbury go separate ways
Since the creation of the Crusaders, the leadership and management of both the Crusaders and CRFU have been the responsibility of a single Chief Executive.
However, following a consultation process with staff, the Boards of both organisations have decided to establish separate Chief Executive positions for the two organisations. The current Crusaders and Canterbury Rugby CEO, Hamish Riach, will become the full-time Crusaders CEO, while the new position of CRFU CEO will be advertised.
Canterbury Rugby Board Chair Trevor McIntyre and Crusaders Board Chair Grant Jarrold said the decision was not motivated by any concerns about the current management of the Crusaders or CRFU but was a sensible move to make for both organisations.
"We believe that both organisations will reap the benefits from establishing a dedicated CEO for the CRFU, and allowing the Crusaders CEO to focus fully on the Crusaders organisation," Jarrold said.
"The primary rationale for making the move to two separate CEOs is that the boards of the two entities need to operate independently of each other, and the current arrangement inadvertently puts the CEO into the role of a consultant, with an added responsibility to ensure there is no conflict of interest between ‘clients’. We do not believe that is the best model going forward,"
McIntyre reiterated that the move was a future-focused decision, as opposed to being driven by any concerns over current performance: "Both of us, as Board Chairs, could not be more proud of the work that the management and staff at the CRFU and the Crusaders do. We are fortunate to be in a position where we can fully consider this change and its implications without it being driven by any financial or performance pressures.
"We have put a lot of consideration into this and both Boards are in agreement that with the increasing business and high performance challenges for the two organisations, establishing a dedicated CEO for each is the right thing to do for the future," McIntrye said.
