DIEHARD
06-09-12, 02:41 PM
Titans close to announcing advisory board
THE Gold Coast Titans are edging closer to announcing an advisory board after it emerged the club has approached a former chief executive of computer giant IBM.
Hope Island resident Brian Finn is in contention to be on the club's first board, which is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks.
Finn yesterday confirmed he had been sounded out about a possible seat on the board, which is also set to include Titans executive director of football Michael Searle and investors Graeme Connor and Darryl Kelly. It is unclear whether Asian real estate tycoon Anshuman Magazine, another investor, will take up a board position.
Mr Finn worked for IBM, one of the world's biggest technology corporations, for nearly 40 years and was CEO of IBM Australia-New Zealand for 13 years.
The 75-year-old said the club was yet to decide the structure of its board but he was hoping to be part of it.
"There's nothing firm about that," he said. "I would be delighted to be associated with them if the circumstances were right."
Mr Finn is chairman of the Gold Coast Innovation Centre -- a business society -- and agricultural and construction equipment company Chesterfield Australia. He is also on the Griffith University Health Institute board.
The club was hoping to have the board in place last month but the process has been delayed.
Mr Finn said he wasn't fazed by how long it would take for the club to decide its hierarchy.
"The club needs to sort out where it wants to go with its future. The timing therefore is quite rightly in their hands," he said.
"If it were ready, then I'd be delighted to have a discussion with them and what they want to achieve, in terms of the management of the business. The football club is for someone else to handle.
"You can't rush these things. It's important not to."
The introduction of a board has come on the back of the Titans' highly publicised financial woes surrounding the Centre of Excellence building at Robina.
The building was sold last week to Bond University and the triumvirate of investors has also contributed to helping the club recover.
It has been reported Searle remains the majority shareholder (48 per cent) with the other investors each holding a 13.3 per cent stake in the club.
Surfer Joel Parkinson, who is managed by Searle, and US-based sports agents Andrew and Peter Stubbs hold the remaining stakes.
Mr Finn said "the past is the past" and all he would be focused on is helping the business grow if given the chance.
"I wouldn't say it's a challenge. It's a business and needs to be run like a business. That's what the new shareholders want to do, I believe," he said.
"You've got a responsibility to the shareholders and community. In that respect, I really don't see it any differently. The past is the past.
"One of the things the shareholders are in the process of doing is making sure they're on a sound financial footing."
http://www.goldcoast.com.au
THE Gold Coast Titans are edging closer to announcing an advisory board after it emerged the club has approached a former chief executive of computer giant IBM.
Hope Island resident Brian Finn is in contention to be on the club's first board, which is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks.
Finn yesterday confirmed he had been sounded out about a possible seat on the board, which is also set to include Titans executive director of football Michael Searle and investors Graeme Connor and Darryl Kelly. It is unclear whether Asian real estate tycoon Anshuman Magazine, another investor, will take up a board position.
Mr Finn worked for IBM, one of the world's biggest technology corporations, for nearly 40 years and was CEO of IBM Australia-New Zealand for 13 years.
The 75-year-old said the club was yet to decide the structure of its board but he was hoping to be part of it.
"There's nothing firm about that," he said. "I would be delighted to be associated with them if the circumstances were right."
Mr Finn is chairman of the Gold Coast Innovation Centre -- a business society -- and agricultural and construction equipment company Chesterfield Australia. He is also on the Griffith University Health Institute board.
The club was hoping to have the board in place last month but the process has been delayed.
Mr Finn said he wasn't fazed by how long it would take for the club to decide its hierarchy.
"The club needs to sort out where it wants to go with its future. The timing therefore is quite rightly in their hands," he said.
"If it were ready, then I'd be delighted to have a discussion with them and what they want to achieve, in terms of the management of the business. The football club is for someone else to handle.
"You can't rush these things. It's important not to."
The introduction of a board has come on the back of the Titans' highly publicised financial woes surrounding the Centre of Excellence building at Robina.
The building was sold last week to Bond University and the triumvirate of investors has also contributed to helping the club recover.
It has been reported Searle remains the majority shareholder (48 per cent) with the other investors each holding a 13.3 per cent stake in the club.
Surfer Joel Parkinson, who is managed by Searle, and US-based sports agents Andrew and Peter Stubbs hold the remaining stakes.
Mr Finn said "the past is the past" and all he would be focused on is helping the business grow if given the chance.
"I wouldn't say it's a challenge. It's a business and needs to be run like a business. That's what the new shareholders want to do, I believe," he said.
"You've got a responsibility to the shareholders and community. In that respect, I really don't see it any differently. The past is the past.
"One of the things the shareholders are in the process of doing is making sure they're on a sound financial footing."
http://www.goldcoast.com.au