Stormers reveal ‘leadership restructure’ after completion of equity deal and departure of coach to SA Rugby
Stormers head coach John Dobson looks on.
The Stormers have unveiled multiple leadership changes prompted by the departure of former director of rugby Dave Wessels and the completion of the equity deal with Red Disa.
One of the main changes sees Johan le Roux, a major roleplayer in the Red Disa Consortium that now owns a controlling stake in Western Province Rugby, take up the vacant position of Chief Executive Officer.
Meanwhile, John Dobson now has the director of rugby role in addition to his head coach duties with the Stormers.
Le Roux, who is also the head of Fynbos Ekwiteit, has already started aligning with Dobson and the board and will be supported by administrator Rob Wagner around the operational aspects of the business.
Lofty targets
The new chief executive is determined to turn the Stormers into the “global powerhouse” it has the potential to be.
“This team has the potential to be a global rugby powerhouse, given the talent in the region and unrivalled love for the game among its supporters,” he said.
“We want to ensure that the business standards match that of the rugby programme and help propel the team to even greater heights.
“It is crucial that we run a sustainable model which will ensure our strength into the future and we have already made some fairly big steps in this regard in a short space of time. There is every reason to be excited about what the future holds for the DHL Stormers.”
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More focus on the “rugby environment”
For Dobson, his new role taking over from Wessels extends beyond the Stormers as he looks to continue building Western Province Rugby on a more macro level than before.
“My love for this team and the rugby people in this region is well-documented and I will continue to put everything I can into making our rugby as strong as possible,” he said.
“As Director of Rugby, I will now be looking more broadly at the rugby environment in our organisation and planning for where we want to go, as well as overseeing the current squad and our mission to make Cape Town smile.”
