Official Canterbury Bulldogs CEO: Aaron Warburton named new chief executive of NRL club

Spoonman84

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The Canterbury Bulldogs have appointed commercial expert Aaron Warburton as their new chief executive to replace Andrew Hill.

Warburton previously worked at the Bulldogs as head of commercial and landed one of the most lucrative sponsorship deals with KIA motors.


The appointment will be announced to members this afternoon.

He has beaten a hot field for the job, including former chairman Ray Dib who was interviewed last week and reached out to major sponsor Arthur Laundy for support.

Warburton has also previously worked at the Parramatta Eels in sponsorship.

The club is now looking to hire a general manager of football to work alongside new coach Trent Barrett.

Hill last month joined the likes of former coach Dean Pay, chair Lynne Anderson, head of football Steve Price plus other members of the club’s executive team to exit the club in an unprecedented re-build on and off the field.

 

beastwood89

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Really don’t know about this one. Wasn’t some claiming that dib was responsible for the Kia sponsorship? In this article it claims Warburton was the one who landed it not dib.
 

B-Train

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Having corporate connections and nous is always great to have but fronting the media as the CEO of an NRL club regarding contracts, player controversies and speculation etc is a different kettle of fish entirely. I hope he's up to the task.

Hill ended up doing a better job than myself and a lot of others initially gave him credit for, especially considering the circumstances he was working under.. So hopefully Warburton can provide a similar standard.
 

Spoonman84

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View attachment 21185

Official now. How does the media still have the scoop who’s still licking the media’s dick?
They usually send out the media releases a few mins before informing fans so they can write stories. They are usually embargoed until a certain time but a lot of the asshole journalists ignore it.
 

Dawain87

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Good to see the back office is now settled. Our success on the field is also affected on who is not on the field for the club.
 
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Spoonman84

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Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs appoint Aaron Warburton as their new Chief Executive Officer
bulldogs.com.auFri 12 Feb 2021, 12:55 PM
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have today appointed Aaron Warburton to the position of Chief Executive Officer.

The move will be a home-coming for Warburton who served as the Club’s Head of Commercial Partnerships from 2010-2017. During his time at the Bulldogs he was the driving force behind the highest revenue growth in the Club’s history and played a significant leadership role in helping the Club achieve strategic priorities around membership and community involvement.

Warburton went on to found his own sports sponsorship company and, with the backing of Qantas, has also launched a fan engagement start-up.

His extensive experience in elite sporting environments made him a unanimous choice for the Bulldogs Board following a rigorous recruitment process.

“Aaron’s astute commercial acumen, his knowledge of membership and fan engagement, his understanding of high performance and the value he places on strong community connections made him a standout for the role,” said Chairman John Khoury.

“He understands the fabric of the Bulldogs and he’s highly motivated to create an environment where players, staff, sponsors, members and fans can all thrive. Aaron’s leadership, combined with Trent Barrett’s determination to succeed, means the Bulldogs have a bright future ahead.”

CEO Aaron Warburton chats with Head Coach Trent Barrett.
CEO Aaron Warburton chats with Head Coach Trent Barrett.
Bulldogs Major Sponsor, Arthur Laundy, was also pleased with the process the club had undertaken in making the appointment:

“I have been impressed with the way that the Board has conducted their search for the new Chief Executive of the Football Club and am confident that they have found the best person for the job. Aaron will be in a great position to continue to build on the momentum that Trent and his squad have created in the off-season and I am excited about what lies ahead for this great club.”

Warburton will commence duties in the coming weeks.

“This is such an exciting period for the Bulldogs and I’m honoured to be part of it. A new coach and new recruits will bring exciting opportunities for this great Club and it’s a privilege to be part of this evolution,” Warburton said. “With the season just around the corner I can’t wait to start. I’ll be doing everything I can to ensure success for the Bulldogs in 2021 and beyond.”

CEO Aaron Warburton alongside Chair John Khoury.
CEO Aaron Warburton alongside Chair John Khoury.
 

TwinTurbo

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Based on my experience he did great job with the sponsors/advertisers up to 2017 and in the interim he has qualified as an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from the Sydney Graduate School of Management. Whilst launching his own business called The Sponsorship Department.

Go Dogs
 

Como Dog

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Really don’t know about this one. Wasn’t some claiming that dib was responsible for the Kia sponsorship? In this article it claims Warburton was the one who landed it not dib.
He was probably the person who did all the legwork in securing the deal and it was probably credited to Dib because he probably announced it plus it happened under his watch as Chairman.
 

Como Dog

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Don't know a lot about him but from what I've read I'm happy with this appointment. I also like the idea of splitting commercial and football. Most businesses have a CEO and an Operations Director.
 
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