NRL 2020: Andrew Abdo locked in as new NRL CEO
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is convinced Andrew Abdo will be the best CEO the NRL has ever had after he was appointed full-time to hottest seat in the game — but there is a downside.
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He supports rugby league’s most hated side and has now landed in a position where his ruthless cost-cutting could make him a disliked chief executive.
Having been NRL interim CEO since Todd Greenberg stepped down in April, Andrew Abdo was formally named rugby league’s full-time chief executive on Thursday.
And on day one of his new high-profile job, Abdo revealed he was a Manly fan and that he would need to slash costs inside the game by up to $50m.
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Abdo arrived at NRL headquarters amid special praise with ARLC chairman Peter V’landys saying: “I will say to you today – and I know I’ll be proven right in the future – that Andrew will probably be the best CEO the NRL has ever had. I’m very rarely wrong on these things.”
A humbled Abdo responded by saying: “That’s a pretty daunting hurdle to set but I would like to be judged on not what my promises are – not what I say today – but on the actions that I am able to deliver.”
Abdo – who was previously the NRL’s chief commercial officer – spoke about trust, unity and transparency but then revealed his “love” for the Sea Eagles.
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Tongue-in-cheek, V’landys said: “We’ve heard all the positives about Andrew but I suppose I should mention his weakness – he alienated half the western suburbs rugby league fans because he follows Manly.”
Asked why he was a Manly fan, Abdo said: “There a couple of reasons. We live on the north shore, northern beaches, so geographically that was the team I chose to support.
“When I first got here, I fell in love with Manly because they were such a gritty side and they always seem to fight above their weight. Des (Hasler) is quite a wily old coach and they have had some real characters over time.”
Aside from his choice of club, Abdo may be further questioned when embarking on a harsh cost-cutting process through rugby league.
“Cost-cutting has been an ongoing process for this whole season,” he said. “Of course it’s emotion and of course it’s difficult to make tough decisions around people but we have a job to do.
“We’re aiming to remove $50 million from the business in order for us to be more sustainable going forward – that will be a combination of things. A combination of merging teams (within the administration) together and being more streamlined.
“Peter has emphasised this before and I’ll reinforce it. We are not going to sacrifice the priorities on what’s important to the game. We have to have our eye on the ball on what is going to make us relevant moving forward.”
Loving living in Sydney, Abdo’s son, Anthony, plays for the Willoughby Roos while daughter, Megan, is a North Sydney Bears touch football rep player.
He admits to telling bad jokes but claims to be “loyal, hardworking, honest and authentic.”
“I certainly enjoy my own sense of humour but the feedback I get form my kids and colleagues is that it’s not for everyone,” he said. “I don’t take myself too seriously.
“I like to think of myself as a practical person but I do care about people, particularly those that work so hard in our game. I do consider myself very fortunate to be living in Australia.
“I’m a naturally competitive and ambitious person. I’m driven to succeed and I want our sport to be the best it can be. I have never shied away from a challenge.
“What has always motivated me has been to test myself against the best and rugby league is a significant part of Australia. If you were ambitious and wanted to succeed in any sport then this would be the role you’d want to test yourself against.”
Abdo started his media conference by reciting a quote from one of his “heroes growing up as a child in South Africa” — Nelson Mandela. “Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire and it creates hope,” he said.
Abdo added: “This is the highlight of my career. Accepting such a challenging role at such a challenging time is daunting and exciting. I genuinely love rugby league, it has given me and my family a life in Australia.
“We will focus on three phases – stabilise, renovate and then grow. As part of stabilising, we need to remove costs, secure revenues and reset the culture inside our game – more trust, more transparency and more action.”
Pressed by The Daily Telegraph to explain what he meant when discussing a lack of trust, Abdo said: “Trust goes multiple ways. As the headquarters of the sport, you’re often scrutinised by stakeholders and it’s difficult to keep everyone happy.
“But one thing we have shown through this crisis is if we communicate regularly and be transparent about what we’re doing, we might not make everyone happy all the time, but we can build a sense of trust, unity and teamwork.
“It would be fairly obvious from time to time there has been a deep mistrust between stakeholders in the game but we are rebuilding that.”