The Perth Bears have appointed Tony Rea as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
Tony has more than 30 years’ experience in professional sport and international business, including global capital markets.
He has played, captained and coached at the top level: as a former player and captain of the North Sydney Bears, a former coach of the ACT Brumbies, and CEO and coach of the London Broncos through the club’s entry into Super League.
Perth Bears Chairman Ben Morton said Tony’s experience is what the club needs as it moves into the next phase of its development.
“There are three distinct phases in our club’s journey: start-up, build and develop. We have successfully navigated the start-up phase and Tony brings the leadership needed for our build phase," he said.
“This is a known concept in WA, aligned with our resources sector where companies move from exploration to construction and then production. Getting the leadership right at each phase is critical for success. As a board, we are delighted with Tony’s appointment.
“Tony, as CEO, will bring our high-performing teams together as one. Tony has the leadership attributes and experience needed. Critically, Tony is a proven mentor who is dedicated to ensuring Perth Bears’ success on and off the field. Tony shares our commitment to growing rugby league across WA.”
For Tony, the appointment is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in establishing the Perth Bears.
“I’ve sat in almost every seat in a club: player, captain, development officer, head coach, director of rugby and board member. My job as CEO is not to do any one of those jobs - but rather to use that experience to lead our professional team together as one, committed to success,” he said.
“The Perth Bears have assembled an exceptional and professional team. They have achieved so much in such a short amount of time and I look forward to leading them as CEO into this next chapter.
“Our hungry and determined squad has been curated under the wise leadership of Mal Meninga. Our task is to ensure they have every support needed to be the formidable team we know they can be.
“My professional work over the last decade has exposed me, albeit from a distance, to the determination, resilience and grit of Western Australians. I’m delighted I’ll be calling WA home and even more delighted to be part of developing more rugby league talent out of WA.”
The Perth Bears board thanks the professional team who have stepped up over recent weeks, particularly General Manager of Football Gareth Holmes, who led the organisation as Interim CEO.
