HKRFU Appoints New CEO

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) has appointed Vernon Reid as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Vernon Reid (Vern) comes to the HKRFU after a previous stint as the Chief Executive Officer of the Western Force Super 15 franchise and the Western Australia Rugby Union (RugbyWA) for the past four years.

This followed a three-year tenure on the Board of RugbyWA and more than 20 years of experience as a player at club level in Australia. His wealth of sports management and marketing expertise spans high performance sport, grassroots development and includes experience in facilities development and management. Mr Reid has been appointed for a three-year term. He will assume the duties of Chief Executive effective in mid-November.

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“I am delighted to accept this exciting position. Rugby in Hong Kong has a vibrant future and it is a privilege to lead the HKRFU as it embarks on a new growth strategy and cements itself as the leading rugby nation in Asia,” said Mr Reid.

HKRFU Chairman Trevor Gregory said, “Having just celebrated our 60th anniversary, the HKRFU and Hong Kong rugby has never been in better shape and we look forward to continuing the strong growth we are experiencing in the game we all love so much. In Vern Reid we believe we have found the appropriate person to help us execute our strategic plan.

“Our strategic plan identifies several focus areas including the need to develop more facilities to accommodate the rapid growth in local rugby, raising domestic rugby standards and creating new initiatives for fifteens rugby together with maximizing the Hong Kong Sports Institute platform for sevens, whilst furthering our position as an integral part of Hong Kong and enhancing the Union’s community and government outreach.

“Vern’s experience as CEO of the Western Force and RugbyWA is uniquely suited to our requirements. He is particularly familiar with the challenges of simultaneously developing community, domestic and high performance rugby. We believe that he will be an invaluable asset for our continued growth,” said Mr Gregory.

RugbyWA Chairman, Dr Russel Perry, said that there were many similarities between the West Australian Union and that of Hong Kong. He strongly supported Mr. Gregory’s comments and said that he was very hopeful of developing closer ties with the HKRFU following Vern Reid’s appointment.

The HKRFU conducted a four-month executive search that saw over 60 qualified applicants for the position.

From this, a shortlist of eight candidates were selected for initial interviews, with four strong candidates advancing to a final interview that included a presentation on their strategic vision for Hong Kong rugby.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank all of the applicants for their interest. It was exciting to see the number of local candidates for the position and the HKRFU remains committed to identifying and nurturing local talent amongst our experienced staff and our talented and passionate rugby community.

“As a sign of our commitment, we have mandated that one of the key roles for Vern is to engage in overall succession planning. Vern is a strong leader and he will be an excellent mentor to new and existing members of staff in helping to prepare them for executive positions in future.

“Vern is currently in Hong Kong to meet members of staff and the rugby community in order to make preparations prior to commencing his role. We look forward to working with him at this most exciting time as we embark on our next 60 years of Hong Kong Rugby,” concluded Mr Gregory.