Chief Executive Officer South East Melbourne Basketball (NBL Franchise) CANDIDATE BRIEF
THE ORGANISATION In September the Hungry Jack s National Basketball League announced the establishment of its ninth franchise in Melbourne, to be based in the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South. The team will join the competition for the 2019/20 NBL Season. The National Basketball League have awarded the license for the new franchise to the co-owner of EFL Championship Club, Swansea City Football Club, Mr Romie Chaudhari. Securing Chaudhari to lead the new franchise is a vote of confidence in the NBL as he holds stakes in various global traditional and esport franchises, is involved in philanthropic ventures and is the Founder and CEO of Chiron Investments in Los Angeles. The new franchise is currently looking for a first class, highly commercial Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation in collaboration with Chaudhari, who is based overseas. The franchise name is yet to be finalised, though with some team members in place they are currently on the road to building their presence and creating commercial opportunities and will ultimately expand the team as the Club s revenues grow. The investment is testimony to the growth of the NBL in recent years; participation, attendance and interest in the sport is thriving. The National Basketball League is regarded as one of the premier basketball leagues in the world and today is home to some of the world s best players. Their commitment to the public is to set and drive an ambitious growth program, with a focus on the delivery of a compelling entertainment product, fan engagement and national marketing campaigns.
THE ROLE As the foundation CEO you will be required to create and drive efficiencies, best practice and the highest professional standards across the organisation. As this is a newly created position, the role will change and evolve as the Club develops, requiring a need to be flexible and comfortable working in a nimble, start-up environment. While commercially oriented, it is critical the focus is on the consumer and community to quickly establish the Club s presence within the Melbourne marketplace. Prior senior management, people leadership experience and an impressive track record in increasing revenue and identifying new business opportunities is essential. Ideally this would have been achieved in a sport, club, team or franchise environment. There will be an emphasis on the acquisition of new partners, revenue growth and profitability. Your contribution to the procurement and development of long-term sponsors and partners will be invaluable, as will be driving mutual return on investment. You will work hard to develop a positive, inclusive and secure organisational culture with robust governance and be highly committed to growing the brand in a very competitive Melbourne/National sports landscape whilst establishing a solid platform, fit for future. The role will demand an individual with a combination of Commercial, Marketing, Strategy, Fan Engagement, Operations and strong Financial literacy, optimum for a role of this size and profile. A community and grass roots focus to build the Club, at a local level, will be critical for the Club s foundation.
THE PERSON You will possess compelling qualities and be comfortable in operating at the most senior levels of business. A polished and blue-chip operator you will have: Credibility and gravitas as an ambassador for the organisation, internally and publicly in the media. Diplomacy in all dealings with internal and external stakeholders and the Board. Business acumen with a hunger for commercial results and a very strong sense of Brand, Community, Grass Roots and Fans. A strong personal brand in the market with preference to a network in Australian businesses. Be an engaging, impactful leader and communicator. An executive level relationship builder with a proven track record of establishing dialogue and relationships with key decision makers amongst the business community. Excellence in negotiation and persuasion and ability to work in a demanding and high-profile environment. Evidence of good commercial judgment and decision-making capabilities. A high level of integrity and values, executor of best practise, robust governance and management processes. A creative approach; not afraid of innovation, change and challenging the status quo. Highly ambitious for yourself, the club and team, the fans and for the sport of Basketball.
THE REQUIREMENTS THE SALARY Significant experience working in sports administration, media or entertainment or related industries. Excellence in leading and influencing high performing teams. An understanding and interest in Basketball and sport and entertainment in general. Success in securing major sponsorship arrangements and commercial growth. Tertiary qualifications in finance, business, sports management or associated degree. The base salary offered to the successful candidate will be competitive with an appropriate incentive structure and benefits package. THE LOCATION The new franchise will be based at the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South, South East Melbourne for administration and training purposes. The team will play competition at Melbourne Arena at Melbourne & Olympic Parks.
ABOUT SRI SRi is a boutique global executive search and consulting firm focused on media, content, technology and sport. We work as one partner-led team with staff based in key global markets across eleven offices on four continents. We offer dedicated and specific sector, function and region expertise. Our services include executive search, board assessment, succession planning, salary benchmarking, advising clients on their internal and external hiring strategy, new market entry and multi-vacancy projects. We are proud to be the exclusive partner in this search with the new Melbourne based National Basketball League franchise. To be considered, please send your CV in Word format and cover letter to: JOSIE LAHEY jlahey@sriexecutive.com +61478 803 255