Rugby Australia (RA) has been left reeling just months out from the Rugby World Cup after its chief executive Andy Marinos stepped down.<\/p>\n
Marinos was appointed in December 2020 with a task of steering the governing body through difficult financial times in the wake of the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n
The former CEO of SANZAAR will remain in his position until mid-June when his successor will take the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndy Marinos has decided to leave his role in the coming weeks to pursue new opportunities,\u201d RA said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarinos joined RA … 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn his two years, Marinos has overseen significant change for rugby in Australia, including the financial turnaround from a A$27.1 million loss in 2020 to an A$8.2m profit for 2022, as announced at the recent annual general meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phil Waugh, one of the Wallabies\u2019 great flankers during the 2000s, is believed to be a leading candidate to replace Marinos, with ex-NRL boss Todd Greenberg also in the running.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot overstate the commitment and incredible work ethic of the people around me at RA and the roles they have played in helping drive some critical structural changes for rugby in this country,\u201d Marinos said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cImportantly, 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.<\/p>\n