Ex-Wests Tigers chairman says Shane Richardson’s appointment as CEO is ‘sad day for the club’

A former Wests Tigers chair has claimed Shane Richardson’s appointment by “interim” chairman Barry O’Farrell was “corporate governance failure” and a “closed shop.”

Wests Tigers. Picture: David Swift

A former Wests Tigers chairman has lashed the NRL club over the long-term appointment of CEO Shane Richardson, claiming the decision was “corporate governance failure” and a “closed shop.”

Sydney lawyer Nick Di Girolamo claimed the lack of governance behind Richardson’s selection by “interim” chairman Barry O’Farrell was a “sad day for the club.”

Di Girolamo had been endorsed for the Wests Tigers CEO position by Balmain Tigers legend Ben Elias.

Away from rugby league, businessman Di Girolamo came to prominence in 2014 when he sent O’Farrell a $3000 bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage wine – a gift which led to O’Farrell’s downfall as NSW Premier following an ICAC investigation. O’Farrell was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

Richardson was appointed interim Tigers CEO last December after an independent governance and culture review at the club.

Wests Tigers formally appointed Richardson to a four-year deal last Friday – an announcement which was condemned by Di Girolamo.

“If the chair (O’Farrell) is oblivious to such corporate governance failure then it’s a very sad day for the club,” he said.

Wests Tigers. Picture: David Swift

“The problem with the appointment was there wasn’t an independent, transparent process.

“It seems like it was a closed shop and that’s disappointing from a club perspective.

“If that’s how the club is going to behave under the current interim chairman, they are going to go backwards.

“It’s not a proper process. Proper corporate governance 101 is running a transparent process. That’s standard corporate governance procedure when you’re looking to appoint a full-time CEO.

“There is a fair dinkum process through a recruiter, who gets together with members of the board and they interview the top 10 candidates.

“It’s text book. What isn’t text book, it seems to me, is for any interim chair, of his own volition, to appoint an interim CEO to a four-year term without going to market.

“You go and get a headhunter and give them six weeks for people to apply for the role. A proper process calls for the invitation of applications.”

Di Girolamo is an ex-Wests Tigers chairman, deputy chairman and Balmain Tigers director.

In December, Elias backed Di Girolamo as a “great candidate for a major role in the club’s operation.”

On Monday, Di Girolamo said: “My name was bandied around (as a candidate). I was humbled that an icon of the game (Elias) threw my hat in the ring and publicly supported me.

Former Wests Tigers chair Nick Di Girolamo. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“Would I have thrown my hat in the ring? Probably, yes. Would I have got the gig? I don’t know. But the issue is no-one else got a chance to throw their hat in the ring either.

“If you’re talking about proper corporate governance then you have to run a process; go to market and put an ad in the paper like every other club does.”

Asked whether an interim chairman had the authority to make such long-term decisions, Di Girolamo said: “I don’t know what power he (O’Farrell) has been given by the shareholders.

“It seems to me the shareholders don’t fully understand corporate governance either.”

This masthead reached out to Wests Tigers for a response but the club did not want to comment.

“The decision has been made and we are moving forward as a club,” a Wests Tigers spokesman said.

Announcing Richardson’s long-term appointment last Friday, O’Farrell said in a media statement: “Shane has done a tremendous job since taking over as interim CEO, impressing supporters, staff and sponsors.

“It was a ‘no-brainer’ for the board to secure his services for the future. No club can afford to let champions go, whether on the field or in the front office.”

Originally published as Ex-Wests Tigers chairman says Shane Richardson’s appointment as CEO is ‘sad day for the club’