Former North Sydney captain Tony Rea has been appointed the new chief executive of NRL expansion club Perth Bears.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the Bears entry into the competition next year, Rea has replaced former Perth boss Anthony De Ceglie, who resigned last month.<\/p>\n
Queenslander Rea, 60, has previously been in a similar role with the London Broncos, a club he also coached, and has more than 30 years of experience in professional sport \u2013 including in rugby union with the ACT Brumbies \u2013 and international business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve sat in almost every seat in a club \u2013 player, captain, development officer, head coach, director of rugby and board member,\u201d Rea said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hungry and determined squad has been curated under the wise leadership of (head coach) Mal Meninga. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur task is to ensure they have every support needed to be the formidable team we know they can be.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy professional work over the last decade has exposed me, albeit from a distance, to the determination, resilience and grit of West Australians. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m delighted I\u2019ll be calling WA home and even more delighted to be part of developing more rugby league talent out of WA.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bears chairman Ben Morton said Rea\u2019s \u201cexperience\u201d was what the club needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are three distinct phases in our club\u2019s journey \u2013 start-up, build and develop, \u201c Morton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have successfully navigated the start-up phase and Tony brings the leadership needed for our build phase,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a known concept in WA, aligned with our resources sector where companies move from exploration to construction and then production. <\/p>\n
\u201cGetting the leadership right at each phase is critical for success. As a board, we are delighted with Tony\u2019s appointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cTony, as CEO, will bring our high-performing teams together as one. Tony has the leadership attributes and experience needed. <\/p>\n
\u201cCritically, Tony is a proven mentor who is dedicated to ensuring Perth Bears\u2019 success on and off the field. Tony shares our commitment to growing rugby league across WA.\u201d<\/p>\n