The Board
The Board is the group of elected directors which manages the company on behalf of its members and is responsible for the strategic direction and performance of the organisation, the allocation of resources, the assessment of risks, compliance with legal obligations and reporting back to the members (the legal owners).
Board Members 2008
| Geoffrey Holdich, President | Michael Miller | Mark Pickard | Meredith Knowler |
| Wally Bell, Chairman | Stephen Boyd | Geoff Pitt | Neil Whittaker |
| Gavin Collings | Tim Oughton |
The Role of the Board is to:
- Set the broad strategic direction of the organisation through appropriate consultation with stakeholders. This includes determining the organisation’s purpose, core values and the ethical framework as well as key objectives and performance measures.
- Appoint, direct, support professional development, evaluate the performance and determine the remuneration of the CEO.
- Monitor the financial and non-financial performance of the organisation.
- Ensure financial and non-financial risks are appropriately managed.
- Ensure the organisation complies with all relevant laws, codes of conduct and appropriate standards of behaviour.
- Provide an avenue for key stakeholder input into the strategic direction of the organisation.
Duties of Board Members
Directors have a fiduciary duty to act in the interests of the members as a whole and not to represent individual constituents. Thus, once elected a director must cooperate independently in the interests of the organisation as a whole, free from undue influence. The legal duties of individual directors include a requirement for directors to:
- Act in good faith and for a proper purpose
- Exercise due care and diligence
- Ensure the organisation does not continue to carry on its business while insolvent
- Meet the requirements of various federal and state laws which directly impact on the organisation.
- Adhere to the code of conduct specifying the behaviour expected of directors.
- Disclose actual/potential conflicts of interest.
Chairperson of the Board
The chairperson’s primary role is to chair meetings of the board. They are responsible for leadership of the board, ensuring its effectiveness in all aspects of its governance role. The chairperson is pivotal in creating the conditions for overall board and individual board member effectiveness and ensures constructive relations between board members and staff. The chairperson is elected by and may be removed by members of the board.
The Staff
SA Rugby currently employs five staff comprising a Rugby Manager, responsible for competitions and development programs; two development officers who implement development programs; a part-time office manager and an administration trainee, all of whom are responsible to the Chief Executive Officer.
The Chief Executive Officer - Lachlan Clark
With funding support from the Australian Rugby Union, SA Rugby appointed its first CEO in October 2004. The CEO is responsible for managing the organisation on a day to day basis including engaging staff and is delegated maximum authority by the board to manage all operational matters.
In SA Rugby’s case a key role for the CEO is also to develop strategy and establish critical links between the sport, the ARU, State Government and corporate partners. The CEO provides reports and attends all board meetings but is not entitled to vote.
Marketing & Sevens Project Manager - Jane Elliott
The Marketing and Sevens Project Manager is a specialist senior position with responsibility for managing the development and implementation of the organisation’s marketing and communications activities specifically in relation to the Adelaide round of the IRB World Sevens Series and SA Rugby.
The Rugby Manager - Carl Jones
Responsible for matters relating to the sport itself, the Rugby Manager’s role varies from overseeing the State representative side (The Vodafone Adelaide Falcons) to ensuring that coaching at grass-roots level is matching nationally recognised standards.
The Rugby Manager also provides recommendations on the Season Draw, Coaching Accreditation, Safety Guidelines and the development of junior players through the SA Rugby Academy.
Development Coordinator -Jason Harding
Assisting the Rugby Manager, the Development Coordinator is responsible for designing and implementing SA Rugby Development Strategies. The Development Coordinator will manage up to four part time Development Officers to ensure smooth roll out of all development programs.
The Office Manager - Cathy Heuzenroeder
With the growth of staff numbers, the Office Manager’s role is vast and varied. Responsible for all aspects of the administration of the offices as well as responsibilities at rugby events and functions, the Office Manager’s job is difficult to define encompassing everything from payroll to invoicing, office consumables to insurances as well as function management and hospitality.
Competition Manager - George Doughty
Working with the Rugby Manager, the Competition Manager oversees the integrity of the Season Draw, supervises player registration and transfer, match results, player statistics, annual awards, match management for finals and state games, competition rules and player policies.
Office Assistant - Caitlin Brady
Generally the front line of SA Rugby, the Office Assistant must be familiar and aware of all areas of the organisation and assists with both office administration as well as the needs of the various Managers and their departments.

