CLOWN IN WAITING The Bainimarama-controlled Fiji Rugby Union appears to have deliberately rigged the selection process for the new CEO’s position by drawing up qualification criteria that advances regime-favourite ‘Conman Carl’ Ngamoki-Cameron.
The first (and therefore most important) criteria set by the board – chaired by Bainimarama’s thuggish brother-in-law Francis ‘Killer’ Kean who serves as the PM’s official nominee – is that the applicant has ‘a tertiary qualification in Business/Finance/Commerce/Sports Management or equivalent from a recognised institution’.
That requirement sets the standard astonishingly high, especially when put against past successful leadership of the FRU and some of the best-regarded CEOs leading the sport of rugby today. In the context of Fiji it seems a deliberate attempt to handicap out of the race anybody but ‘Conman Carl’ who is a regime favourite.
For instance, Pio Bosco Tikoisuva, who was FRU CEO for the Rugby World Cups of 2003 and 2007 and is credited with leading Rugby House’s most successful and profitable years, would not qualify to hold the CEO position in 2015. The former Fiji captain holds a degree but not in Business/Finance/Commerce or Sports Management.
And so specific is the requirement that neither Steve Tew, CEO of back-to-back RWC champions New Zealand, nor Brett Gosper, head of World Rugby since 2012, would qualify. Tew holds a masters in recreation and Gosper’s tertiary qualifications are economics and law.
By contrast, the job specs perfectly match what ‘Conman Carl’ has on his CV. The Maori lawyer, currently the FRU’s deputy chairman, holds an Executive Masters in Sport Organisations Management, thanks to a 12-month distance-learning course run in conjunction with the Olympic movement. He also has law and physical education degrees from Auckland and Otago universities respectively.
The double-whammy is that the job advert also does not specify a salary, or invite applicants to suggest an expected salary, or refer to the availability of expat terms. Taken together, according to human resources contacts spoken to by Fijileaks, this makes clear the FRU is communicating to applicants that the appointment will be someone locally based.
‘Conman Carl’ was the principal agitator and thorn in the side of Radrodro Tabualevu, the CEO who resigned earlier this week after less than 18 months in charge. The departure of Tabualevu, whose father coached the Tikoisuva-captained Fiji team that beat the British Lions in 1977, is widely understood to have led to a crisis of confidence with three key expatriate coaching staff at the FRU: Fiji’s 7s coach Ben Ryan, and the 15s coach and manager pairing of John McKee and Tony Thorpe. All three of them are not short of overseas offers.
Ngamoki-Cameron got the ‘Conman’ tag in 2011 following his removal after less than three months as a director and chairman of Fijian Holdings Ltd. He remains a record holder for the shortest time served as a chairman of a South Pacific Stock Exchange listed company and the first and only chairman and director to be removed following a staff and senior management revolt that led to a ‘special audit’ being called.
The job search is being conducted by KPMG on behalf of the FRU and applications close on November 27.
The first (and therefore most important) criteria set by the board – chaired by Bainimarama’s thuggish brother-in-law Francis ‘Killer’ Kean who serves as the PM’s official nominee – is that the applicant has ‘a tertiary qualification in Business/Finance/Commerce/Sports Management or equivalent from a recognised institution’.
That requirement sets the standard astonishingly high, especially when put against past successful leadership of the FRU and some of the best-regarded CEOs leading the sport of rugby today. In the context of Fiji it seems a deliberate attempt to handicap out of the race anybody but ‘Conman Carl’ who is a regime favourite.
For instance, Pio Bosco Tikoisuva, who was FRU CEO for the Rugby World Cups of 2003 and 2007 and is credited with leading Rugby House’s most successful and profitable years, would not qualify to hold the CEO position in 2015. The former Fiji captain holds a degree but not in Business/Finance/Commerce or Sports Management.
And so specific is the requirement that neither Steve Tew, CEO of back-to-back RWC champions New Zealand, nor Brett Gosper, head of World Rugby since 2012, would qualify. Tew holds a masters in recreation and Gosper’s tertiary qualifications are economics and law.
By contrast, the job specs perfectly match what ‘Conman Carl’ has on his CV. The Maori lawyer, currently the FRU’s deputy chairman, holds an Executive Masters in Sport Organisations Management, thanks to a 12-month distance-learning course run in conjunction with the Olympic movement. He also has law and physical education degrees from Auckland and Otago universities respectively.
The double-whammy is that the job advert also does not specify a salary, or invite applicants to suggest an expected salary, or refer to the availability of expat terms. Taken together, according to human resources contacts spoken to by Fijileaks, this makes clear the FRU is communicating to applicants that the appointment will be someone locally based.
‘Conman Carl’ was the principal agitator and thorn in the side of Radrodro Tabualevu, the CEO who resigned earlier this week after less than 18 months in charge. The departure of Tabualevu, whose father coached the Tikoisuva-captained Fiji team that beat the British Lions in 1977, is widely understood to have led to a crisis of confidence with three key expatriate coaching staff at the FRU: Fiji’s 7s coach Ben Ryan, and the 15s coach and manager pairing of John McKee and Tony Thorpe. All three of them are not short of overseas offers.
Ngamoki-Cameron got the ‘Conman’ tag in 2011 following his removal after less than three months as a director and chairman of Fijian Holdings Ltd. He remains a record holder for the shortest time served as a chairman of a South Pacific Stock Exchange listed company and the first and only chairman and director to be removed following a staff and senior management revolt that led to a ‘special audit’ being called.
The job search is being conducted by KPMG on behalf of the FRU and applications close on November 27.
Vacancies : Chief Executive Officer
Our client, the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is the peak body involved in governing and administering rugby union in Fiji. The FRU is a member of World Rugby and the regional body Oceania Rugby.
The appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the FRU represents an important milestone in the delivery of key governance and administrative reforms for the FRU. This is a World Rugby supported position who in partnership with the FRU is seeking an experienced Executive who will be responsible for ensuring the FRU as a leading, well managed, effective and responsible national sporting federation with outstanding corporate governance.
The CEO will be accountable for driving a high performance culture as well as building effective working relationships with all stakeholders to ensure the FRU meets its objectives. The CEO will be responsible for:
Our client, the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is the peak body involved in governing and administering rugby union in Fiji. The FRU is a member of World Rugby and the regional body Oceania Rugby.
The appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the FRU represents an important milestone in the delivery of key governance and administrative reforms for the FRU. This is a World Rugby supported position who in partnership with the FRU is seeking an experienced Executive who will be responsible for ensuring the FRU as a leading, well managed, effective and responsible national sporting federation with outstanding corporate governance.
The CEO will be accountable for driving a high performance culture as well as building effective working relationships with all stakeholders to ensure the FRU meets its objectives. The CEO will be responsible for:
- Creating effective partnerships with international, government and community organisations
- Building a robust and efficient organisation across all strategic areas that is committed to developing its people and administration capabilities
- Developing and implementing strategic initiatives
- Overseeing and driving responsible budgeting
- Developing effective relationships with key stakeholders including non government organisations, all levels of government and sports organisations
- Ensuring excellent corporate governance is in place at all times
- Providing the agenda process, strategic support and recommendations to the Board including administering a healthy board reporting process from throughout the organisation
- Overseeing the sustainable delivery of all programmes across both the high performance and development spectrum.
- A tertiary qualification in Business/Finance/Commerce/Sports Management or equivalent from a recognised institution
- A record of outstanding business leadership, team development and viable organisational development
- Business acumen and commercial astuteness
- Strategic planning with development and implementation of initiatives
- Partnership development and management
- Financial Management with a demonstrated ability to prepare and manage budgets, analyse financial records and prepare reports
- Presentation skills and demonstrated communication abilities across a range of staff and stakeholders
- Governance knowledge and acumen with the ability to deliver all aspects of Board processes
- Demonstrated cultural awareness and ability to work in a diverse cultural environment.
 |  |
RUNNING AWAY FROM FIJI: 5 weeks from 15 November to 11 December!
