Brisbane CEO Paul White to extend contract with the Broncos
As Brisbane recover from a tumultuous NRL season, club chief executive Paul White is set to commit his future to the Broncos ahead of a crucial rebuilding job at Red Hill.
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Brisbane chief executive Paul White is set to end months of speculation over his future by committing to a new term in his desire to spearhead a drought-breaking premiership for the Broncos.
The Courier-Mail understands White will remain at the Broncos in 2020 — just a fortnight after the Brisbane boss assured fans the club would rise from the wreckage of their 58-0 finals disaster against the Eels.
Uncertainty has surrounded White’s tenure at Red Hill amid rumours the long-serving chief executive, currently off-contract, would quit the Broncos before Christmas to explore fresh business opportunities.
But the Brisbane board has given White the backing to extend his career for at least another 12 months in a move that would see the highly-regarded administrator chalk up a decade of service with the Broncos.
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White, who turns 54 in January, was appointed Brisbane CEO in October 2010. While he has had outstanding success in many areas of the business, helping the club amass an NRL record $50 million in turnover last season, White has yet to taste premiership success during his nine-year reign.
Brisbane’s gut-wrenching finals capitulation against the Eels three weeks ago — the worst defeat in the club’s 31-year history — convinced White he has unfinished business next season as the Broncos chase their first title since 2006.
As a publicly listed company, the Broncos must satisfy Australian Stock Exchange regulations before any official market announcement is made on White’s contract extension.
White has not officially signed an extension at this stage, but the Broncos boss has indicated he is keen to go on and he has the support of Brisbane’s executive to remain at the helm.
The NRL’s highest-paid club CEO, White played a key role in snaring coach Anthony Seibold from South Sydney and wants stability in the front office for Brisbane’s planned fightback next season.
White was the man charged with sacking supercoach Wayne Bennett last year following a high-level split that destabilised Red Hill, but that saga has not diluted the CEO’s passion for working at the Broncos.
Earlier this year, White told The Courier-Mail he had not ruled out soldiering on in 2020. The former police detective was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumour in 2015, but said he was in good health and able to cope with the pressures of the Broncos CEO post.
“I’m fully aware of my mortality as a CEO, but I’m proud of what I have done to date,” White said in May.
“My health is great the moment, I get three-monthly scans. My energy for my job and living is at the highest level.
“I’m not that important in the scheme of things. This club will be here 100 years. I’m judged for what I’ve done (as Broncos CEO) but I understand I’m a very small part of this club’s history.”
In the wake of Brisbane’s heavy loss to the Eels, White appealed for Broncos fans to show faith in coach Seibold and the playing group ahead of a club-wide review.
“No one here is trying to rose-colour that result,” he said.
“We are enormously disappointed and we understand how much our members and supporters are hurting.
“But we are back at work doing our job and that’s what their expectation should be, it’s not about me as an individual, we’re as strong as our collective here at this club.
“We’ll take our medicine, we’ll learn from it and take the hard lessons.”
Originally published as Brisbane CEO Paul White to extend contract with the Broncos