New Zealand Rugby Commercial (NZRC) has appointed Ian Narev as chair of its board of directors.
NZRC was established by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) earlier this year to lead its commercial operations. As foreshadowed in June, its board will consist of nine directors to bring diverse skillsets, views and experiences to rugby in New Zealand.
New Zealand Rugby Players Association representative Richie McCaw, NZR director and former Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy and media entrepreneur Bailey Mackey, who's also a NZR director, have been appointed.
They join NZR chief executive Mark Robinson and two Silver Lake managing directors, Simon Patterson and Stephen Evans.
NZRC was set up earlier in the year to spearhead NZ Rugby's commercial operations.
A search is underway for two more independent directors.
Narev grew up in Auckland and resides in Sydney. He is CEO of online employment marketplace Seek, and was previously CEO of the Commonwealth Bank Group. Earlier in his career, he was the head of McKinsey & Company's New Zealand office.
He is also the co-founder and chair of Springboard Trust, a non-profit organisation that has supported the principals of over 600 New Zealand schools.
“I have been a die-hard rugby fan since first watching the All Blacks on a black and white TV in the 1970s. As digital technologies present opportunities for rugby fans in New Zealand and overseas, I am greatly looking forward to working with NZRC’s management team and all stakeholders of rugby in New Zealand," Narev said.
Ian Narev.
'Milestone'
NZR's Robinson said this was an important milestone for NZRC.
"We are excited about the business acumen, technology expertise and deep understanding of rugby we have on the board. Ian’s passion for rugby alongside his commercial skills will be extremely valuable and we are looking forward to working with him.”
Mark Robinson.
NZRPA CEO Rob Nichol said: “We are pleased to have secured such a high-calibre executive to chair the board and we know we will benefit significantly from Ian’s leadership skills and in particular his experience with digital technologies and consumer businesses.”
The new NZRC board will approve the new commercial strategy and business plan including commercial goals, plans and targets, with a view to this being enacted from early 2023.
It said it was committed to transparency and will "at the appropriate time" share details on its commercial strategy.
Negotiations for a game-changing investment from American private equity firm Silver Lake were finally concluded last June with a deal valuing NZ Rugby’s new commercial arm at $3.5 billion.
