Casey resigns

[one-eyed]

Tiger boss may walk
13 November 2005 
 Sunday Herald Sun
Scot Palmer

THERE is increasing speculation that Richmond chairman Clinton Casey may step down and the club could have its first woman board member.

Casey, who only 12 months ago fought and won a bitter election at Punt Rd, was in deep discussion with club officials yesterday about his continuing role at the Tigers.

For several months key men at Richmond have been trying to convince Casey he was required in the chairman's position for the sake of stability, but because of his burgeoning business interests, he is finding it increasingly difficult to allocate time to football.

Property developer Casey has seven major projects either completed or partly completed, with more planned, and is considering a public float of his company.

Richmond's football director, Greg Miller, was reluctant to discuss Casey's future yesterday, saying: "I would like him to stay forever -- he's brought great stability to the place."

Miller said the Tigers were close to appointing a female director, who was a loyal club member and Richmond resident. She had been considered for a place on the AFL Commission earlier this year, he added.

"I am not at liberty to tell you her name," Miller said.

Her appointment and the question over Casey should be finalised within a week.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,17228717%255E20322,00.html

[one-eyed]

Ch 9 news said Clinton has quit.

[Razorblade]

Channel 7 said it aswell!

Gary March? is taking over!

PRE must be a buzz right now, with Rosy, David C etc constantly and prematurely ejaculating without restraint! 

I dare not look!

[one-eyed]

Casey departs Tigerland
7:34:25 PM Sun 13 November, 2005
Ashley Browne
Sportal for afl.com.au

Increased business pressures have caused the resignation of Clinton Casey as president of Richmond, after six years in the position.

The Tigers announced on Sunday night that his replacement will be long-time board member and current vice-president Gary March.

The Tigers have named Maurice O’Shannassy as vice-president and have appointed their first female board member, Peggy Haines.

Casey said he was disappointed to leave the club at what he said was a 'positive time' for the club, but that he owed it to the club's members, supports, sponsors and staff members to do the right thing.

"The role of President is not one you can perform half-heartedly. My business, corporate and family responsibilities are now at a point where I can’t do justice to both positions," he said in a statement released by the club.

"After a year of outstanding improvement, both on and off the field, I am confident that I am leaving the Club in very capable hands.

"We have a united board, the right coach, the right football director, the right CEO, great sponsors and, even more pleasingly, the playing list is looking very impressive."

March has been a Tiger board member since 2002 and the managing director of Concept Sports, an international merchandise and sponsorship company.

O’Shannassy is the managing director of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, Australia, while new board member Haines is a partner at leading commercial law firm Freehills in Melbourne.

Casey won a hard-fought battle to remain as president 12 months ago, but has engineered a stunning reversal in the club's fortunes, both on and off the ground. The Tigers finished 2005 in 12th position after a wooden-spoon the year before, while the club's financial result at the forthcoming annual meeting will be about $2.3 million better than the year before.

"There’s no doubt that the Richmond Football Club is on the right track. We have much to look forward to," he said.

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=236911

[mightytiges]

and have appointed their first female board member, Peggy Haines.

... is a partner at leading commercial law firm Freehills in Melbourne.

A bit more info on Haines:




Current practice Peggy Haines is a partner in the Melbourne office of Freehills, specialising in superannuation.

Industry experience Prior to joining Freehills in 1991, Peggy worked in the USA specialising in employee benefit arrangements and their compliance with relevant government requirements. This involved developing and designing pension plans, welfare benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements.

While at Freehills, Peggy has practised exclusively in superannuation. Her main focus is with respect to corporate superannuation funds, public offer superannuation funds and public sector superannuation funds. Her experience includes:

* advising trustees regarding trust issues, requirements of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act and general administration
* designing and documenting fund benefits
* preparing communication programs
* advising employers about their Superannuation Guarantee responsibilities and continuing legislative changes
* advising the Victorian government on reform of public sector superannuation
* assisting exempt public sector superannuation schemes become SIS-regulated funds
* effecting returns of surplus from superannuation funds to employers
* advising trustees and employers on their responsibilities under the Privacy Act 1988
* transforming corporate funds to public offer status
* attending to superannuation issues in mergers and acquisitions
* helping trustees prepare for the Financial Services Reform Act
* advising on discrimination legislation and its application to superannuation, and
* applications to APRA and ASIC for relief from regulatory requirements.

Professional background Peggy is Chair of the Law Council of Australia – Superannuation Committee. She is also Secretary of the Steering Committee of the International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association and is a member of Women in Superannuation.

She is on the editorial board of the "Australian Superannuation Law Bulletin" and is the Australian editor of the "International Pension Lawyer". She is a regular contributor to superannuation industry journals, a frequent lecturer at industry seminars, and a commentator on industry issues.

Peggy was admitted to practice in Victoria in 1991 and became a partner in 1995. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. In 1994 she also completed the ASFA Diploma in Superannuation Management from Macquarie University.

http://www.freehills.com.au/people/people_1859.asp

[Razorblade]

Piggy Haines? 

Thank you, thank you, i'll be here all night! 

[one-eyed]

Bloodless Tiger change
By Michael Gleeson
The Age
November 14, 2005

AFTER more than 12 months of rare peace and harmony, Richmond president Clinton Casey has quit the club's board, hoping his replacement by vice-president Gary March and the election of the club's first female director will continue the calm at Punt Road Oval.

Casey stood aside from the club, citing heavy business commitments and ushered in his deputy in what is hoped will be a seamless transition.

March was unanimously appointed the new president of the club at a board meeting on Saturday after Casey announced his decision to step down. Club directors had known Casey was considering his position as president for some time as his businesses enter merger negotiations.

US-born superannuation lawyer Peggy Haines, who is a partner with city commercial law firm Freehills, will take Casey's position on the board. Maurice O'Shannassy was elected the new vice-president.

"I have looked at my business commitments for next year and there is a lot of interstate and overseas travel and I know that I can't do justice to both of those roles," Casey said yesterday.

"The board unanimously appointed Gary as the new president, which was always our view of how it should be under the succession planning."

March, who joined the board in 2002 and is the chief executive of Concept Sports, is adamant his presidency is for the long term. "It's certainly not a caretaker position. It was not a decision anyone on the board took lightly," March said. "So it is a permanent position and will remain so as long as the board wants me to remain president.

"It's not going to change much and that is why Clinton had a desire the appointment come from the existing board so that the stability we have had over the last 18 months continues. Clinton has offered a bit of a mentoring role which I am certainly going to take up and he has said he will stay around and help any way he can."

Football director Greg Miller, who publicly declared his allegiance to Casey's ticket in the bitter board election at the end of 2004, vowing he would quit the club if Casey was not elected, said neither his position nor that of coach Terry Wallace would be affected by Casey's decision.

"We have spoken to Terry as well and we are all comfortable with the new regime," Miller said. "Look, I have tried to talk Clinton out of this because he has just been outstanding for the club."

Haines, who is originally from Virginia, migrated to Australia in 1989 and, after moving into the suburb of Richmond, decided to adopt the club as her own.

Having been involved with a range of Richmond coterie groups, she was recently short-listed by the AFL for a seat on the commission before the appointment of Sam Mostyn. Haines is also the chair the Law Council of Australia's superannuation committee and a member of the boards or committees of a range of other non-professional organisations.

"I will be the first (woman) at Richmond but hopefully not the last - the first of many I would think," Haines said.

Since the divisive election campaign when Casey's ticket was aggressively challenged but ultimately strongly endorsed by the membership, the club has had a stunning turnaround in fortunes. Then the Tigers were bottom of the ladder, heavily in debt and did not have a chief executive or coach.

Now they have a long-term contract with a high-profile experienced coach in Terry Wallace, a new chief executive in Steven Wright, have had a strategic plan drafted by respected consultant Crowe-Lovett and have enjoyed a period of almost uncharacteristic boardroom calm.

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2005/11/13/1131816807707.html

[one-eyed]

Greg Denham finally got one right

------------------------------

Top Tiger leaves Punt Road den
Greg Denham
The Australian
November 14, 2005

BUSINESS pressures have forced Richmond president Clinton Casey to step down as a director, with Gary March taking over the presidency.

A year after surviving a bitter attempted coup, Casey, 46, vacated his position of nearly six years on the weekend because of increased business pressures.

March, 44, who was appointed to the board at Punt Road in October 2002, is managing director of Concept Sports International.

New vice-president is Merrill Lynch chief executive Maurice O'Shannassy, a director for less than 12 months.

Casey's place on the board has been taken by lawyer Peggy Haines, who becomes the club's first female board member. Haines is a partner at Freehills after relocating from the United States in 1989.

Casey, president of the Tigers since December 1999, defied last year's long-running boardroom challenge and eventually retained control in a landslide election victory over an alternative rebel ticket headed by former directors Charles Macek and Brendan Schwab.

During one of the Tigers' lowest periods, Casey's nine-member board was re-elected last December with Casey reappointed as president for another three years.

However, as revealed exclusively in The Australian in August, Casey was forced to reconsider his position because of a massive workload increase in his positions as managing director of Retirement Services Australia and chairman of Links Living.

"To stay, I would have needed to do justice to both the football club and my business interests, which is now not possible," Casey said yesterday. "For the first time in decades, I believe we are a united club on all fronts and that's one of the most pleasing things from my point of view."

Richmond has had a volatile history on and off the field, but particularly in more recent times due to the Tigers' lack of success.

But Casey stemmed further rebellions this year and brought calm as Richmond's financial and on-field standings improved markedly.

Casey's board and other senior people at Richmond wanted him to remain at the helm, even if not full-time, but he said he could not do his position justice in a part-time capacity.

Richmond will reverse a $2.2million loss last year with a small profit this year, and won 10 matches under new coach Terry Wallace, six more than in 2004 when it took the wooden spoon.

March yesterday described his upgrade as a smooth transition. "I've been here for almost four years so it's business as usual for us," March said. "We've got the right model in place and there will be no great changes."

Casey missed attending six matches last season and has been forced to cut his time at the club by more than half. He spent between 10 and 15 hours a week on football matters, compared to between 30 and 40 in previous years.

In 2003, Casey donated more than six months of his time when he acted as the club's full-time general manager on a voluntary basis, while the Tigers were in between chief executives.

Before last year's election, Casey informed members he would resign within 12 months if the Tigers did not meet their budgets and demonstrated on-field improvement. Richmond has since well and truly achieved both.

Casey was appointed to the Richmond board in a period of instability almost six years ago and took over as president from Leon Daphne. During his time, the club has had three chief executives and two coaches.

"I'd like to think I gave Richmond everything I had," Casey said. "Most of us started off here in 2000 as rookies and I'm proud that the club is now set up with one of the most experienced groups in its history, from the CEO to the coach to the football manager.

"We've got a dedicated plan on and off the field to ensure a future of sustainable success."

Two years ago Casey provided a personal guarantee with the ANZ Bank over $1.7million worth of the Tigers' debt.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17235311%255E36035,00.html

[PuntRdRoar]

it would be good if he could have left us in the position he found us...financially i mean. sadly this isnt the case.

[The Undertaker]

Channel 7 said it aswell!

Gary March? is taking over!

PRE must be a buzz right now, with Rosy, David C etc constantly and prematurely ejaculating without restraint! 

I dare not look!

At a guess dear old Rosy is most likely in a violent rage because a female has been appointed to the board and it is not her.

[one-eyed]

Casey was on Sport 927 this morning:

 Out-going Richmond President, Clinton Casey says everything at Punt Road in on the right track. Casey announced on the weekend that he will be stepping down from his role at the club due to increasing outside business interests. Gary March has been elected to the vacancy. Clinton Casey spoke to Michael and Anthony about his decision this morning.

http://sport927.com.au/gateway/Daily_Audio/Sound%20Grabs/CC_141105.asx

[DallasCrane]

it would be good if he could have left us in the position he found us...financially i mean. sadly this isnt the case.

I couldn't agree more RT. The tone of today's articles leaves you with the feeling that the place is in great shape....well, not really. Over the last 3 years of Casey's tenure, the place has lost about $2.9 mill.

Good riddance, I say, and go back to the white shoe brigade in Queensland pal.

[mightytiges]

Financially we're in a worse position compared to 1999 when Casey took over but in virtually every other aspect of the club we're better off than we have been in two decades. Mind you all this has only happened in the past 12-18 months with the arrival of Wright and Wallace to join Miller. It took 4 years of stuffing up big-time on the back of 20 years of mediocrity but finally the tough decisions were made such as seeing Frawley's contract through to the bitter end to rid ourselves of our coach sacking reputation. We wouldn't have attracted Wallace otherwise and probably ended up with Spud mark II as the only bloke willing to do the job  . We needed to hit rock bottom to wake the club up from its deluded state.

The "Big 4" ticket lost the election with the very first line in their glossy brochure when they held the state of the club back in 1999 in such high esteem. We might have been (just) in the black but the club was a basketcase as it had been since the early 80's. Nothing for former failed board members to hold their hat onto.

Thankfully, it appears everyone is now pulling in the same direction and we have qualified people in charge who are no longer pawns to the impatient whims of vocal "influential" minority groups. The nine person Board just needs to keep an eye out that everything continues to run smoothly and on budget. Apart from that BUT OUT and let Wright, Miller, Wallace and co. do the job they are employed to do.

Up and onwards towards success   

[letsgetiton!]

casey has left us in a better position than when he started in all aspects.
dont be fooled about our financial position from when he started, imo  those figures were manipulated by daphne and his crew. casey is a far better businiessman than daphne will ever be, casey has succeeded in everything, daphne failed at tigerland and bs and bluffed his way through. daphne even was demoted at nissan bec he nearly killed them in australia too, hence why a japanese guy has taken over his spot to mend things there.
now casey over a couple of yrs appeared to have lost alot of money at our club, but he had a bunch of untrustworthy maggots in the board room alongside him, and these blokes jumped ship and then tried to oppse him, gutless @@@@@.
i say thankyou casey, for standing firm and finally getting the club stable on and off the field!

[mightytiges]

Agree X that Casey eventually did get it right (so far) over the past 12-18 months which is more than any of his predecessors did in the past two decades but only after 4 years of learning first hand how an AFL footy club should not be operated - giving certain players long-term big $$$ contracts after one good year (thank you Mark Brayshaw), outsourcing the corporate sales and marketing areas, and pumping good money into providing 100% TPP for a poorly recruited list run by a poor coach. That's where most of the money went in terms of losing $3 million in the space of 2 years. Mind you the whole board at that time from 1999 onwards was responsible not just Casey.