Former GP boss Wright man for job
18 June 2004
Herald Sun
Mark Stevens
FORMER Grand Prix boss Steven Wright is the new chief executive of Richmond.
Tiger boss fears for clubs
The Tigers are poised to announce the coup today as a major positive amid off-field rumblings.
Although Wright is yet to formally sign an agreement, he last night told the Herald Sun he would be taking the position.
Wright, on business in Germany, is set to start at Punt Rd in early August.
"If there's one job in the world I'd look forward to taking, it's this one," Wright said last night.
"We have to finalise the details, but I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge of leading the mighty Tigers."
Richmond president Clinton Casey last night said Wright, a lifelong Tigers fan, was a standout candidate.
"We've made an offer to Steven. We think he's got the background and experience that we need to rebuild this football club," Casey said.
Wright will be the Tigers' third boss in 13 months, following the departures of Ian Campbell and Mark Brayshaw.
The 39-year-old is stepping into one of the toughest jobs in football, amid threats of a challenge to Tigers president Clinton Casey and concerns the club could lose as much as $2.5 million this year.
But Wright said he would relish the challenge.
"I've been involved in sports in my whole business life and I have no doubt Richmond can be a very successful club," he said.
The appointment comes after Casey and his directors met AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and chief commissioner Ron Evans on Wednesday to brief them on candidates for the job.
Wright publicly announced he was leaving the Australian Grand Prix Corporation – a $70 million organisation – in April.
From September 2002, the former lawyer headed both the Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island and the Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park.
He had been involved with the Grand Prix since February 1997, also filling the roles of legal and business manager and deputy chief executive.
Before that, he was a senior associate and solicitor at Freehills in Melbourne and Sydney.
Wright was in the process of setting up his own business when approached by the Tigers after the the departure of Campbell in late May.
"I was well down the path of setting up my own business. When Ian (Campbell) left I had a discussion with some board members," Wright said.
As well as his impressive business credentials, Wright also ticks the right football boxes as a close follower of the Tigers.
He is an MCC Tiger category member, a Tommy Hafey Club member as well as being a personal backer of Bowden.
Wright completed an AFL players' agent course in 1996.
Wright's predecessor Campbell resigned in late May after just one year in the job.
The Tigers have since conceded they picked the wrong man for the role.
Campbell, a former Nike executive, came to the Tigers on the recommendation of the AFL, and in particular Ben Buckley, the league's general manager of broadcasting, strategy and major projects, who had also worked with the US footwear giant.
Renowned as a marketing guru, Campbell's lack of football nous was seen as the major stumbling block.
Former Commonwealth Games boss Leighton Wood had been considered favourite for the Tigers' role.
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