Former footballer Kelly Egan to become Clubs Queensland CEO
A rugby league identity has been chosen as the next CEO of a major body tasked with helping struggling Queensland clubs emerge from the shadow of COVID-19
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A rugby league identity has been tapped to help struggling Queensland clubs emerge from under the long shadow of COVID-19.
We learned on Wednesday that Kelly Egan will take on the CEO role for Clubs Queensland starting August 3.
He replaces Doug Flockhart, the long-serving boss of the peak industry group who departed last month with a warning that up to 40 per cent of clubs may not survive the coronavirus-fuelled downturn.
There’s a lot at stake here. The state’s 870 or so clubs have about 2.4 million members and employ more than 22,000 staff, including 9,000 in regional areas. Collectively they pump about $2.2bn into the Queensland economy every year.
Those figures, of course, are all pre-pandemic so it’s hard to say yet how far south they will go.
Egan comes to the job following a brief stint as the inaugural boss of the Rugby League Coaches Association, which he only started in January.
Clubs Queensland president Terry McDonald said Egan had the right fit for the position, following more than 20 years of leadership experience in a variety of business and sporting gigs.
“Kelly brings with him a wealth of experience and an in-depth knowledge of matters critical to the club industry,” McDonald said.
“Kelly is exactly the person needed to steer Queensland’s community clubs out of COVID. He is a strong leader, not to mention a warm and genuine character. He knows the many positive impacts that clubs have on their communities.’’
Egan made a name for himself as a rugby league player in the 1980s, winning a premiership with Valleys in Brisbane before moving to the North Sydney Bears.
He later served as an assistant coach with the North Queensland Cowboys, Canterbury Bulldogs and Manly Sea Eagles. He wrapped up a three-year stint as general manager of the Wests Tigers in 2019.
Outside of sport, Egan has previously spent time in roles with consulting group Work Management Solutions, TAFE Queensland and gaming outfit Aristocrat.
Egan didn’t return a call seeking comment Wednesday but, in a statement released by Clubs Queensland, he praised staff for their tireless efforts during the pandemic.
The challenges facing him are huge.
Before walking out the door, Flockhart estimated that clubs across the state would suffer a 70 per cent plunge in revenue over the next 12 months as a result of social distancing guidelines. That won’t change, he predicted, until we have a vaccine.
OUT ON HIS OWN
Brenden Brien has struck out on his own this week after 15 years as a top lieutenant for Brisbane jobs queen Sarina Russo.
The former communications supremo for Sarina’s sprawling employment empire has reactivated his PR and marketing vehicle Win Win Outcomes, securing office space in the CBD.
His first client? Sarina, of course. “She’s been so good to me. Unbelievably supportive,’’ Brien told us.
He has also signed up the likes of Pioneer Solar, GeSS Education and Herringbone Constructions.
After doing a bit of reflection while on long service leave, Brien decided to go it alone under the banner of an entity he first set up about 20 years ago.
One of his business partners, TA Digital owner Taher Ali, was a former intern who worked with Brien about 10 years ago as a marketing specialist. “He was so good that we put him on 20 hours a week and then sponsored him,’’ Brien said.
Also on board are television identities Chris and Jasmin Forsyth, who will be handling some of the media training and video work.
Sarina wished him well when we rang for a chat but repeatedly refused to say who might take his place in her organisation.
“Brenden Brien became my right hand person and he is now dreaming to tap his full potential as an entrepreneur. I wish him a massive amount of success in his new business,’’ she said.