The entire board of the Wests Tigers has been dismissed, effective immediately, with chief executive Justin Pascoe also resigning from the club.
Ex-NSW premier Barry O’Farrell has been installed as interim chairman, replacing Lee Hagipantelis, while former South Sydney CEO Shane Richardson will become interim chief executive, both on initial six-month terms.
The seismic changes at the joint venture on Tuesday follow an independent review into the club’s governance, after which a restructure was officially endorsed by shareholders on Monday night.
The review, ordered by the Holman Barnes Group – the controlling faction on the Tigers board – and conducted by former NRL chief financial officer Tony Crawford and businessman Gary Barnier, has ultimately resulted in HBG directors ratifying their own exits as part of the restructuring.
The changes remain subject to legal approval, with Richardson to front a press conference at the Tigers’ Concord training base on Wednesday.
“We are determined to be successful for our members and fans and that process begins in the front office,” said HBG chair Tony Andreacchio, who thanked Hagipantelis and Pascoe for their service.
The Tigers’ interim board has been reduced from seven members to four in the short term and will comprise a representative from each of the Wests Tigers shareholders in Dave Gilbert (HBG), Danny Stapleton (Balmain Tigers chairman) and a still-to-be-confirmed nomination from the Wests Magpies, with O’Farrell acting as chairman.
