Andy Marinos has stepped down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of Rugby Australia.
That’s just a few months out from the World Cup in France.
The former Stormers and Wales centre said that he was leaving his post to “pursue other opportunities.”
Marinos only joined RA in February 2021 and was appointed with a specific mandate to secure the immediate and long-term future of rugby in Australia at a time when sporting codes globally were grappling with the commercial and operational impacts of Covid-19.
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Indeed, in his two years, Marinos has overseen significant change for RA, including the financial turnaround from a A$27.1m (R331m) loss in 2020 to an A$8.2m (R98m) profit for 2022, as announced at the organisation’s annual general meeting.
This saw the organisation return to surplus for the first time in four years. However, despite the positive results, the Sydney Morning Herald, citing sources with knowledge of the situation, said that Marinos and RA Chairman Hamish McLennan had not seen eye to eye for some time in a work capacity.
In a statement, McLennan said: “Andy will leave RA having delivered several key projects, including the finalisation of the 2027 and 2029 Rugby World Cups, locking in the 2025 British and Irish Lions Tour, planning for a new contracting model for the professional game, implementation of strategy to professionalise women’s XVs rugby, and a new four-year collective bargaining agreement for our professional men’s and women’s players.”
RA has commenced a recruitment process, with Marinos to remain at RA until mid-June to assist with a transition period for the business.
He joined the governing body following five years as the Chief Executive of SANZAAR, rugby’s administrative body in the Southern Hemisphere, and before that held various roles at SA Rugby.
“The foundations have been established and the business is now well-prepared to test the market for private equity investment, making it the right time for me to move on,” said Marinos. “Importantly, I will leave with the knowledge that RA is in a stronger position than when I joined, and proud of what has been achieved in my tenure as CEO.”
