Brumbies hunting new CEO after 'bruising' settlement
Jones will finish in his role on Monday, May 3 at 17.00 after agreeing to a payout on the weekend, ending six weeks of infighting between him and the board.
Brumbies chairman Rob Kennedy apologised for the inconvenience caused by the issue and said that due to a number of legal restrictions, he was not allowed to give away too much information regarding the change of CEO.
"I firstly want to apologise to all our fans for this unfortunate period in Brumbies history, it's something that we've learned a lot of lessons from and we certainly want to fix up out way forward and I'm really looking forward to improving the organisation and moving on from here,'' said Kennedy.
"Both us and Michael Jones agreed that it was in the best long term interest of the club to part ways and resolve this quickly and out of the court to let the Brumbies move forward in clean air and that's what we've done."
The Brumbies board will begin the search for a new chief executive in the coming days and will consult with senior management this week to decide on an acting boss, while general manager of community rugby Craig Lesburg will sit in the seat and fill the role until a suitable candidate is appointed.
"We're starting an intensive search for a new CEO and we expect that to be done within the next three to six months," Kennedy revealed.
"We'll potentially be looking at more permanent interim arrangements over that three-month period and we'll evaluate those in the coming days.
"There's no winners in these sorts of issues, it's very bruising and it's been a challenging time for everybody.
"I am confident in the discussion we've had with our senior management and staff at the Brumbies and there's a sense of relief that everyone can look to the future."
Jones' departure came after it was revealed that he wanted an investigation into the workplace behaviour of Stephen Moore and Scott Fardy.
After both parties agreed that it would be in the best interest of the club for Jones to step down, the Brumbies reached a settlement with Jones and announced there would be no investigation into the senior pair of Moore and Fardy.
"I met with the management team last night and the Brumbies organisation takes any workplace harassment claims very seriously and I'm fully confident they've been appropriately dealt with and that they're finished," said Kennedy.
Bill Pulver, CEO of the Australian Rugby Union, also praised the way in which the matter was handled.
"I don't think anyone could've handled it more effectively, I'm very pleased with the way the board have dealth with it, but at the same time we're very happy that it's behind us," said Pulver.
"It's been a very difficult time for Australian rugby and we're very pleased that it's been dealth with."
Jones was stood down in March following a controversial radio interview in which he spoke about a report into the club's finances but stayed on as the CEO with protection under whistleblower laws.
Pulver admitted that Australian rugby are facing difficulties with financial sustainability at Super Rugby level, but added that the matter is a national one and not only restricted to the Brumbies.
"It's not fair to say they're bleeding money, they're having a pretty strong financial year, actually," said Pulver.
"Matchday revenues are very positive, sponsorship revenues are very positive and they're in a very solid financial position – they don't have any issues in relation to their finances.
"It's not a Brumbies issue, it's a Super Rugby issue and it's a professional sports issue at that level; Rugby league faces the same challenge, AFL to some extent and I'm sure soccer does as well, so we're investing a lot of time in all the franchises and are trying to find a financially sustainable model.
"We're working very hard on it, there's still some work to do and that's where our focus has been.
"They're in good shape, they've just lost a CEO so that leaves a bit of a hole, but there's no urgent need for us to fill any gaps at the moment."
