Staff Cameron George

[mt.wellington]

Cameron George​

A RESTRUCTURING OF the Warriors management structure has seen Jim Doyle move from Managing Director to the post of Executive Chairman, taking over from current owner Eric Watson who is stepping down, and Chief Operating Officer, Cameron George now becoming the club’s Chief Executive Officer.

George built his career in the Sport of Kings in Australia, being involved in the integrity unit. He then moved to New Zealand to run the integrity unit across all three codes, thoroughbred, harness and greyhounds.

In 2012 he was appointed CEO of Auckland Racing and it was while in that position that he was asked by Eric Watson to join the board of the Vodafone Warriors in 2015. A rugby league fan all of his life (he had the affliction of supporting the Roosters till he came to New Zealand and fell madly in love with the Vodafone Warriors) it was a position he was delighted to take up.

It was therefore no surprise when he was offered the chance to join the Vodafone Warriors management team in May this year that he accepted without hesitation.

His first few months at the club have obviously been tough ones with the team struggling to get results on the field but this has only made him more determined to knuckle down and revitalise the outfit.

George says that the uncertainty surrounding the club’s ownership has no effect on his ability to do his job. He will be holding a review of the season for all grades with the football department and any decisions regarding recruitment and personnel changes will take place after that.

A priority for next season will obviously be for the club to make the top 8 and have a chance at the big prize. 6 seasons of failing to at least be at the dance has been frustrating for fans (including George himself) and does not give the faithful the rewards their devotion deserves.

George is firmly of the opinion that having an Executive Chairman that is resident in the country is a big advantage and the fact that it is someone with Jim Doyle’s experience in both the game and at the Vodafone Warriors makes it doubly so.

Despite the lack of on-field glory in recent seasons the Vodafone Warriors remain one of the best supported and most financially stable of all NRL clubs and George is confident that he can get all the mechanisms in place to ensure the playing side is in the best possible position for success.

One person who is sure George will do great job is Sir Peter Leitch who said that not only is George a sharp operator he is also a “good bastard”. No higher praise.

https://newsletter.sirpeterleitch.co.nz/files/MB_Newsletter_185.pdf

 

[mt.wellington]

Just gonna post some old stuff so we can get better view on our new CEO...

George takes the reins as Auckland boss
Aidan Rodley
21:50, Jun 07 2012

In a shock career change, chief stipendiary steward Cameron George was yesterday named as the new Auckland Racing Club chief executive. Racing editor Aidan Rodley reports

Cameron George says he has the best job in racing.

Not as New Zealand's head stipendiary steward of the Racing Integrity Unit though, because yesterday he handed in his notice.

The job George is referring to is the chief executive of the Auckland Racing Club, a position he will take up soon after the beginning of the new racing season in August.

The Auckland Racing Club yesterday confirmed the appointment of George, 36, an Australian who has twice held the position of New Zealand's chief stipendiary steward.

"I'd always intended going down this track sometime in the future but when the job came up, it was an opportunity too good for me not to consider,'' George said yesterday.

"It's just a privilege. It's one of the best jobs - if not the best job - in New Zealand racing. It's a great club and there's a great structure and team in place.

"Chris Weaver has done a great job and I just hope I can springboard off what he's done to take the club on to bigger and better things. I've just got to pick up the baton and carry on where he left off.''

Weaver resigned from the role after the Auckland Cup carnival to work closer with his wife, Dr Libby Weaver.

Auckland Racing Club chairman Russell Warwick yesterday said he was delighted to welcome George on board, confident that his background in racing and property made him the perfect fit for the role.

Warwick said George was a partner in a New South Wales real estate business, which he had jointly established and helped develop both the residential and commercial divisions, and he brought a ``wealth of knowledge'' in property to the Auckland Racing Club position.

"Obviously we knew of Cameron's involvement in racing but we were quite amazed about the property background he had prior to coming into the stewarding role,'' Warwick said.

"With the resource consent and where we see the future of this club going forward, having experience in the property field is going to be a huge asset for any chief executive.

"We feel that Cameron's combination of property and racing knowledge is going to be really beneficial for the club in the long-term.''

Warwick said the board was confident George was the right man to step into Weaver's shoes.

"Chris brought a lot of good points to the job and had a very successful regime,'' Warwick said.

"But we're very excited about Cameron coming on board. Our business is so much about the people business and he knows the people in the business.

"They will be a lot of areas that are still a little foreign to him but with the stakeholders and the day-to-day running of race meetings, no one can bring a broader or wider knowledge to the role than what he can.

"I'm sure he's excited about it and we're very, very excited to have him. It will be a bit of a head-turner for a few people because I don't think a lot of people will have expected that.

"But we're very comfortable with the decision we've made and we feel he'll bring a lot of value to the club. We look forward to the next few years, for sure.''

George said he had a vision for growing the Ellerslie brand as a leader not only as a racing club but also as a key venue for public events in Auckland.

"It is a privilege for me to have been afforded the chance to lead such a successful organisation,'' he said.

"The opportunities that exist across the business, within all of its facets, will provide exciting times for myself, Auckland Racing Club members, staff and the public who get to experience what it is to be a part of the exhilarating environment Ellerslie offers.''

Cameron was confident he was leaving the Racing Integrity Unit in good heart.

"I'm confident we have the people within the Racing Integrity Unit that could step up to a more senior role, and that's the benefit of the RIU that we've been able to foster an environment where more people are experiencing a wider variety of roles,'' he said.

Waikato Times

https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/sport/racing/7065308/George-takes-the-reins-as-Auckland-boss

 

[mt.wellington]

Key NZ racing administrator lured away by Warriors
2 May, 2017 4:31pm

Cameron George. Photo / File.

One of New Zealand's key racing administrators has been lured away by the Vodafone Warriors.

And Ellerslie chief executive Cameron George says he would like to see New Zealand racing make the tough calls in order to fulfill its potential.

George is moving to the Warriors, where he has been on the board for two years, to take up the fulltime role as Chief Operations Officer.

A lifelong rugby league fan, George will leave a big hole in New Zealand racing with his experience as a chief steward both here and in his native Australia before his move into administration at Ellerslie.


"I'll always love racing but I also love league and a chance to join the Vodafone Warriors in a role like this was too good an opportunity to pass up," he told the Herald.

George leaves with Ellerslie in a strong position, with three $1million races programmed for next season and overall stake levels high.

"I love this place and I'm proud that the efforts of a lot of people have seen our stakes rise significantly over the last five years," says the 41-year-old.

"Our focus has been ensuring we could maximise our commercial activities off the track so we could return money to our core business -- racing.

"We have been able to do that through property, the Ellerslie Events Centre, the golf driving range inside the racetrack, even things like the Popup Globe season we have had here and the car fair every week.

"All those things create revenue that goes back into racing."

Ellerslie has developed a reputation as one of Auckland's party hubs over summer, with its twilight meetings proving hugely success, none more so than the Karaka Million in January.

"We are very proud to be able to hold such a huge race meeting in conjunction with New Zealand Bloodstock and I'm thrilled knowing how big it is going to be next season."

George also takes pride in the consistency of Ellerslie racing's surface, especially during the busy summer season, at a time when some tracks around the country are struggling.

But after a decade at the top of New Zealand racing, George is adamant tough decisions need to be made.

"We need strong leadership now more than ever, people who can make the big calls.

"I think racing has been guilty for too long as just going along with what we have always done.

"Anything that can improve the industry should be open to discussion and put on the table.

"And we need to get the funding model right so money can be invested in the areas where it will generate the best returns for the whole industry."

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11848718

 

[mt.wellington]

League: New Warriors CEO Cameron George out to fix Warriors' issues
24 Aug, 2017 4:49pm

New Warriors CEO Cameron George eyeing up new talent. Photo / Dean Purcell

Two of the Warriors most important recruitment meetings have taken place at Ellerslie Racecourse.

Current owner Eric Watson was first asked about becoming involved in the NRL club by former part-owner Graham Lowe, while he was in the men's toilets of the member's stand on Boxing Day 1999.

Fast forward to late 2015, Watson was back at the racetrack, trying his luck in asking Auckland Racing CEO Cameron George to join his NRL stable at Penrose.

Two years of service on the club's board preceded the 41-year-old Australian's move from Ellerslie into the fulltime role as the Warriors' chief operations officer in May.

That job title was always going to be temporary and - although George and former managing director Jim Doyle denied it to the Herald at the time - today it was confirmed: The former Head of New Zealand Racing's Integrity Unit is now running the joint.

George is the Warriors new CEO, with Doyle moving into the executive chairman role, and Watson set to relinquish his title as the board's head next week.

"I'm really honoured and looking forward to it and together Jim and I can really look at things and see what we can do heading into 2018," said George.

"And to have an executive chairman, with Jim's experience and hands-on approach, will be great for me in the CEO's role."

Watson's exit from the board comes as no surprise, given that he's recently been looking to sell the Warriors and in discussions with several interested buyers.

He's also been largely absent from the club over the last 18 months, with his overseas business interests commanding the bulk of his attention, while he divides his time between the UK and US.

Without Watson on hand, Doyle has been stretched thin - juggling his role as managing director while also taking on responsibilities that would normally fall in the lap of the chairman - including securing the Warriors future at Mt Smart Stadium and playing a leading role in clubs negotiating a lucrative new funding agreement with the NRL.

George expects he'll be able to concentrate more on the day-to-day business of running the Warriors, while Doyle handles the bigger picture stuff.

"My focus coming through this door every day of the week will be ensuring we have the right environment and doing everything possible we can to be a successful unit right across the business," he said.

"The structure we have in place now enables Jim to strategically look at opportunities and he'll continue to work with the NRL from a chairman's perspective and naturally I'll also work with the NRL and other CEO's as required.

"Having a chairman that's local certainly gives a lot of benefit to the whole organisation and to me personally."

The onus is on George to achieve what Doyle has been unable to in three years at the helm - get the team firing and back playing finals football after six years of missing the top eight.

With two games remaining in the regular season, coach Stephen Kearney and his players are under immense pressure to avoid equaling the club's worst record of eight straight defeats when they take on Manly at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

George, who brings a reputation as a straight shooter, says he'll take his time in assessing where things have gone wrong and how they can rectify matters.

"I want to sit down with Steve at the right time, and other parties in the organisation, to review everything," he said.

"I'm certainly looking forward to sitting down with Steve, because he's only been here a year.

"We'll do that at the conclusion of the season and get his thoughts in a review process, give it some thought, and then plan it going forward.

"At the end of the day my job is to make sure that we put the right mechanisms in place to create success."

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11910323

 

[Mr Frank White]

Main question; Did he leave Auckland Racing better than he found it?

 

[RICHMAN]

I just hope he doesn`t procrastinate. Hes been there 6 months now so should have some idea what and who needs to be changed. everything needs to be in place before the start of preseason

 

[bruce]

I just hope he doesn`t procrastinate.

His hands are tied. He has just been appointed skipper of the Titanic. Don't hold your breath.

 

[Akkerz]

While Watson remains owner George will have the same restrictions that Doyle faced. Not expecting a hell of a lot to change that will make a hell of a lot of positive difference at this point.

 

[RICHMAN]

While Watson remains owner George will have the same restrictions that Doyle faced. Not expecting a hell of a lot to change that will make a hell of a lot of positive difference at this point.

yip so this time next year George will be coping the same crap Doyle did. Joy Joy Joy I have always maintained its further up the food chain where the problem lies

 

[RICHMAN]

His hands are tied. He has just been appointed skipper of the Titanic. Don't hold your breath.

I been holding it since 1995.. whats another year!

 

[WarriorBall]

All I'm hearing is we have another rugby league fan as head of football and a new chairman that resides in the same country as the sporting franchise he chairs ... baby steps.

 

[Stalefish540]

Doesn't every person that gets appointed at the Warriors HQ have these big dreams of making substantial change. Only to be repeatedly beaten on the head, by the clubs undenying urge to want sustained mediocrity. Honestly noone does unfulfilled lip service like the Warriors.

Good luck Cameron!!

 

[1995Warriorsfan]

Cameron George is taking calls on Zb from 1pm.

A good chance for some of you to voice your concerns about the club and hopefully get an answer.

 

[bruce]

Cameron George is taking calls on Zb from 1pm.

A good chance for some of you to voice your concerns about the club and hopefully get an answer.

Couldn't tune in, a report would be gratefully received by moi.

 

[mt.wellington]

Didn't hear it but didn't need to. Heard enough CEO's of the club to know it would have been all spin. Unless he came out with some actual new news like a new signing or something than it'll have been a waste of life...

 

[snake77]

I didn't hear today's interview. He was on Radio Sport after his promotion was announced talking to Darcey Watergrave. That was mainly around his background, his time at the club, poor results on the field.

There was a quote not 100% if it was from that interview or another article where he said he doesn't make excuses. The first thing I thought, lets see in 12 months if you are not in front of the media saying "We missed the finals, the side just had too many injuries". I was thinking you'll soon sound like everyone else. I really hope not as I want the club to succeed but it is going to take a lot of work on and off the field and it all is judged on the on field results which makes it a lottery if the players aren't putting in or are not up to it.

 

[bruce]

I was thinking you'll soon sound like everyone else.

I think many fans are thinking the same already, and it isn't even October.

 

[1995Warriorsfan]

Couldn't tune in, a report would be gratefully received by moi.

Easier to listen to him attached are the links for the full hour.

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.00.00-S.mp3

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.15.00-S.mp3

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.30.00-S.mp3

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.45.00-S.mp3

 

[bruce]

Easier to listen to him attached are the links for the full hour.

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.00.00-S.mp3

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.15.00-S.mp3

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.30.00-S.mp3

https://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.09.09-13.45.00-S.mp3

Thanks for then posts brother.
I have got to half way through the second 15 minutes. Mount Wellington is dead right. George sounds like Jim Doyle with an Aussie accent. I will work through the rest when I have stopped pissing myself laughing, or should it be crying. The fans questions were very good though. I got worried when Veitch compared Kearney with John Mitchell. Sounds scary that.

 

[FAN]

Listened to this whole thing...............even this guy said it.........PROCESS!!!