Women of RWC 2011

Match Makers

With 20 countries taking part in 48 games over six weeks from September 9, Rugby World Cup 2011 is set to be the biggest party New Zealand has ever hosted. The third biggest sporting event in the world, RWC 2011 is expected to be watched by millions of fans in more than 200 countries and attract up to 85,000 visitors to our shores.
Women are key players in organising the tournament forecasted to contribute $500 million directly to the national economy. Here, we chat to four in leading roles.

Julie Christie, director, RNZ 2011
For Julie Christie, founder and chief executive of TV production company Eyeworks New Zealand and Australia, the decision to join Rugby New Zealand 2011’s board of directors as an independent member was a no-brainer.
“I wanted to be part of the biggest sporting event New Zealand has ever hosted and probably will ever host in my lifetime,” she explains.
Julie, who owns Sky’s Living and Food channels and a resort in Fiji, is the sole woman on the eight-member board of RNZ 2011, a joint venture between the Government and the New Zealand Rugby Union responsible for planning and delivering the tournament. This has included developing the three-phase ticket sale schedule and deciding how tickets will be marketed.
For Julie, the tournament’s success will be defined, not only by how well the All Blacks do, but also by how many of the 1.65 million available tickets are sold.
The Auckland-based mother of two teenagers says she was surprised to be asked to join the board.
“The Minister suggested that maybe I knew a bit about how to get ‘bums on seats’ which is, of course, vitally important in terms of revenue generation for the tournament.”
Julie says that while the Rugby World Cup is on target with ticket sales, she expects the final push to be the most challenging.
“Those last 20,000 to 30,000 tickets will be the real test. But sales so far indicate that we are well on track.”
With the first two phases of ticket sales complete, the board is focusing on the third and final round, which features a ballot system for entry to the semi-finals and final.
For Julie, the best thing about being on the board is having the opportunity to challenge herself in ways she wouldn’t normally.
“For me, it’s a personal challenge to see how I can help make this event even better. I think people underestimate how big it’s going to be. The whole country is getting behind it.
“Sitting on a board with so many successful businesspeople has been a fantastic experience. You can’t help but soak up some of their wisdom.”
Describing her leadership style as naturally hands-on, Julie says the experience has taught her to be a better delegator.
“As a board member, you have to have confidence in your staff. It’s been good for me to learn to let people get on with their jobs. And they’re doing so well, it makes my job easy.”
Julie, who founded Touchdown Productions in 1991 and sold it to Dutch-owned Eyeworks in 2006, says she has literally made a career of being the sole (or one of very few) women in different jobs.
“Even as a kid, I was the only papergirl. It’s always a bit of fun.”
These days, she is also one of just two women directors on the seven-member board of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
Although she believes the board derives its strength from the breadth and depth of talent of its members, she says women often do bring different skills to the table.
“Women are natural multi-taskers and often have greater attention to detail.”
Proudly patriotic, Julie hopes our entire ‘stadium of four million’ will make the most of the event.
“It’s not just about the rugby ... it’s much bigger than that. It’s important for all New Zealanders to get behind the event and take advantage of the huge opportunities it offers. This is our chance to show the world what we’ve got.”

Therese Walsh, chief operating officer, RNZ 2011
Until five years ago, Therese Walsh would have thought you were mad if you told her she’d one day say New Zealand would become a better place because of rugby.
While she enjoyed watching All Black test matches, she was far from a rugby fanatic. Her interest in the game skyrocketed in November 2005, however, when she and the rest of the New Zealand bidding crew won the rights to host RWC 2011.
“It was probably the most exciting week of my life,” she enthuses.
The 38-year-old qualified accountant, who lives in Wellington with her husband and two children, was the chief financial officer of the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) at the time. She had been considering moving on but, when she was offered the chance to play a key role in organising the tournament, she decided to run with it.
Although she doesn’t claim to be a diehard rugby fan these days, she says she is “very passionate about the success of rugby in New Zealand” and “particularly passionate about RWC 2011”.
The chief operating officer of RNZ 2011 since its establishment in 2006, Therese believes her emotional distance from the game affords her greater objectivity.
“I’m inspired by the bigger picture. We haven’t had anything like this in New Zealand before – it will change everything. I get a huge sense of ‘wow’ from being part of it.”
Therese negotiated many of the agreements which established the company and has direct responsibility for the financial, IT, HR, administrative and commercial areas of the business.
She says her responsibilities are akin to those with similar titles in most corporations.
“The main difference is that we have a very complex stakeholder model. Everyone cares about and is interested in RWC 2011 – even my mum keeps asking me about it. From a business perspective, it’s great because people go out of their way to help you. It means you can do some really amazing things.”
Describing the company’s budget as “reasonable but not extravagant”, Therese says the tournament will be a distinctly Kiwi festival.
“We’re doing it all in a very collaborative Kiwi way. For me, the best thing about the tournament is that it’s helping to create a strong sense of national pride. It’s getting people thinking about nationalism and how cool it is to be a New Zealander.”
Therese says more than 60 percent of the company’s staff are women, many of whom occupy leadership roles.
“When I first started out in this role, the guy who ran the cup in France said ‘you’ll need a lot of women involved’. Our female staff members are all well-organised, balanced, resilient, good communicators and great at keeping calm under pressure.”
Although Therese concedes she is hyper aware the nation is counting on her and the team to put on a good show, she’s confident they’re well on track.
“To make an event of this scale a success, you need equal doses of good management and good luck. All the foundations are in place so we have the good management side covered. We just have to keep our fingers crossed about the good luck.”
For Therese, the ultimate goal is to prove to the world that New Zealanders are hosts with the most.
“What I’m most looking forward to is the after-party glow. When everyone across the country is in a kind of euphoric state because it was an amazing event and everyone thinks we rock
as a country.”

Kirsten Patterson, general manager corporate services, New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU)
Kirsten Patterson is already looking beyond the RWC 2011 final to the legacy the tournament will leave to the sport, women’s involvement in it and New Zealand in general.
The former employment lawyer and mum of two preschoolers, who started with the NZRU as human resources manager in September 2003, is passionate about getting more women involved in the sport, both on and off the field.
“Women have always been instrumental to rugby in New Zealand – from the mums involved with running the clubs, volunteering and driving their kids to games to the growing number of players, coaches and refs.”
She says women are also well represented at the NZRU, making up about half the staff.
“People often think of rugby as very male-dominated, but the reality off-field is very different. There are some fantastic opportunities in sports administration and leadership and we have some great women leaders. But, for various reasons, it can be harder for women to break into.”
Heavily involved with the NZRU’s leadership programme for women in rugby, Kirsten is hopeful the tournament will help highlight the administrative and leadership opportunities for women.
As general manager of corporate services, Kirsten explains she aims to ensure the NZRU and New Zealand rugby at large, capitalises on the tournament’s potential to improve participation in the sport and develop better systems and infrastructure. Officially launched in November, the NZRU’s Rugby Legacy Programme includes a national registration drive, education programmes and a national ‘pass the ball’ relay.
“We’re continuing to see growth [in membership rates] and we expect the tournament to provide a significant boost. We’re hoping that RWC 2011 volunteers will go on to help their local clubs. It’s about highlighting the benefits of rugby and team sports in general, to individuals and the community.”
She particularly enjoys working closely with people across different sectors.
“The tournament will touch on most communities, if not all, in some way, so we’ve had to work co-operatively and in a really New Zealand way.”
Getting fans excited is a key focus. Kirsten says the biggest challenge in this respect is to get Kiwis excited about non-All Black games.
“Local councils are doing a great job of encouraging people to get behind the [overseas] teams playing in their local areas, which adds an international flavour to the tournament.”
Kirsten says her passion for the game and patriotism mean the job often doesn’t feel like work at all. That said, she emphasises that “solid corporate skills” and particularly the ability to build positive working relationships are imperative in the role.
As dedicated as she is to ensuring New Zealand proves a fantastic host nation, she happily admits that, for her, the tournament’s success will be defined by the final result on-field.
“Of course an All Blacks win would be the ultimate.”

Rachael Dacy, chair, Auckland Co-ordination Group
Melburnian Rachael Dacy believes RWC 2011 provides the perfect opportunity for her adopted city to invest in a makeover and show off the results to the world.
“As a global event, the tournament acts as a catalyst for the transformation of the city and positions it as a desirable international events destination,” she says. “As a result, Aucklanders are energised to take pride in their city.”
A former champion pole vaulter, Rachael currently manages the major events department of the new Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development agency. A key part of this role is leading Auckland’s RWC 2011 coordination group. Rachael, who has a Master of Sport Business degree and no shortage of major events experience, co-ordinated the City of Melbourne’s $30 million-plus contribution to the 2008 Commonwealth Games and also played a key role in the organisation of Rugby World Cup 2003 in Sydney.
“It’s an incredibly broad role encompassing the political and strategic as well as the operational detail. Our programme of work includes everything from transport and regulatory issues to international promotion of Auckland as a destination.”
Major Auckland projects have included co-ordinating the upgrade of Eden Park stadium, the inner-city waterfront precinct, Aotea Square and public transport services. Rachael says these big-ticket items are well on track and Auckland is in great shape to be ready
for RWC 2011.
Rachael sites her greatest achievement in the role to date as getting the Auckland region working together with a single budget and agreed programme of work.
“That was a big one given Auckland’s notoriously fragmented approach to major events in the past.”
Hosting the opening, semi-final and final matches, Rachael says Auckland will be the hub of RWC 2011.
“For an event of this scale in a city of this size, the co-ordination challenge is huge. We’re working with hundreds of key players – individuals and organisations – at a national level.”
“I’m very determined that the tournament will be successful in Auckland and that the city itself will be a big winner.”
Given the high number of women in senior positions in the corporate sphere – and specifically the events, marketing and communications sectors – Rachael says it makes sense that so many are involved with the RWC. Recognising sports administration is still “fairly blokey”, however, Rachael hopes the tournament will prompt more women to take on organisational and leadership roles within it.
“Everyone brings different attributes, skills and experiences. RWC 2011 is about getting the best people to deliver the best outcomes for Auckland and New Zealand so we can cash in on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Lorna Thornber
www.rugbyworldcup.com