Strategy CEO Thread - Jennifer Watt - Started Jan 2023

[Roos1991]

For those who love the Peter Bell as CEO idea, fill in the gaps for me please.

He's got some list management and footy ops experience from what I know. And yes, a law degree and think he was running some side business(es).

While he brings more football experience than Amarfio I can't see how he brings enough corporate/organisational leadership experience to go with it.

I'm concerned about that as well. However, I you complement those deficiencies by bringing that expertise into the board and also with shrewd recruiting around him. Fremantle is a hug operation and a massive club, he'd surely have had some exposure to the marketing/corporate side of things and I'd hope those elements would be thoroughly tested through any recruitment process.

 

[Harvey Manfrenjensenden]

No that is incorrect.

"I" means it's an ego driven idiot and that's why he has been fired from Cricket Aust and now North.

"I" is a red flag - "we" is a much better way to go about it.

I'm not sure how being a barista qualifies you to rate LinkedIn profiles for psychological red flags. Stick to making coffee mate

 

[Patchterrier]

I'm concerned about that as well. However, I you complement those deficiencies by bringing that expertise into the board and also with shrewd recruiting around him. Fremantle is a hug operation and a massive club, he'd surely have had some exposure to the marketing/corporate side of things and I'd hope those elements would be thoroughly tested through any recruitment process.

Absolutely as they need to get it right. Whilst our financials have never been stronger, we can't drop the ball on this.

The football expertise is covered now, we need a businessman / woman who will continue to build the business. If the new CEO's strength is primarily football, I'd expect some conflict between them and Clarkson and Viney. We know Clarko in particular likes to do things his way. He won't want CEO inputting into footy program, rather someone to run the business and let them get on with it.

Achieving debt free was bloody hard work. Many clubs still struggling - Stkilda still have nearly $10m in debt despite highest AFL funding (by millions) for a sustained period (& more members than us). The business of football is hard and it is really easy to get it wrong, and the impacts can be significant.

On SM-G996B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Caracas]

Absolutely as they need to get it right. Whilst our financials have never been stronger, we can't drop the ball on this.

The football expertise is covered now, we need a businessman / woman who will continue to build the business. If the new CEO's strength is primarily football, I'd expect some conflict between them and Clarkson and Viney. We know Clarko in particular likes to do things his way. He won't want CEO inputting into footy program, rather someone to run the business and let them get on with it.

Achieving debt free was bloody hard work. Many clubs still struggling - Stkilda still have nearly $10m in debt despite highest AFL funding (by millions) for a sustained period (& more members than us). The business of football is hard and it is really easy to get it wrong, and the impacts can be significant.

On SM-G996B using BigFooty.com mobile app

Out of interest, do St Kilda have more assets than us? It just seems strange that we’re still viewed as the poor cousins in the competition… in Victoria.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[DocSholl]

Out of interest, do St Kilda have more assets than us? It just seems strange that we’re still viewed as the poor cousins in the competition… in Victoria.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

They basically have the whole South coast of Victoria to themselves, whereas we're in an awkward pocket where five minutes in any direction goes into Footscray, Carlton and Melbourne territory.

 

[gokangas]

Out of interest, do St Kilda have more assets than us? It just seems strange that we’re still viewed as the poor cousins in the competition… in Victoria.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

A great question. Always frustrates me why they seem to dodge scrutiny over debt and poor performance.

 

[Patchterrier]

A great question. Always frustrates me why they seem to dodge scrutiny over debt and poor performance.

Yes they do - around $25M+ in assets as I think they own the Danny Frawley centre and other assets (RSEA Park?).

They also have 10k more members than we do (despite our numbers increasing by more than 25% in last couple of years), yet still carry significant debt.

Our future fund just launched will help us (if managed correctly with good business minds investing) to build an asset base so whilst we are in the strongest position we ever have been - comparative to other clubs we are still small with more work to be done.

Hence why we need a smart business man or woman to lead the business and compliment the footy expertise for onfield. Success on AND off field should be what we strive for.



On SM-G996B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[shinboner magic]

So bells a campaigner

I like it - no more kissing cousins BS.

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

So bells a campaigner

I like it - no more kissing cousins BS.

What have I missed?

 

[shinboner magic]

What have I missed?

Supposedly he’s a prick to work for

 

[Mav]

For those who love the Peter Bell as CEO idea, fill in the gaps for me please.

He's got some list management and footy ops experience from what I know. And yes, a law degree and think he was running some side business(es).

While he brings more football experience than Amarfio I can't see how he brings enough corporate/organisational leadership experience to go with it

He’s completely butchered Freos list management. We do not want him anywhere near our club.

 

[Chadwiko]

For those who love the Peter Bell as CEO idea, fill in the gaps for me please.

He's got some list management and footy ops experience from what I know. And yes, a law degree and think he was running some side business(es).

While he brings more football experience than Amarfio I can't see how he brings enough corporate/organisational leadership experience to go with it.

I feel like these people won't be happy unless it's an ex AFL-mens footballer in the role, and nothing else matters.

Mental gymnastics, etc etc.

 

[kangafruity]

I think we need to stay away from the "Old Boys" club anything. Time for NEW blood for this new era

 

[King Corey]

I feel like these people won't be happy unless it's an ex AFL-mens footballer in the role, and nothing else matters.

Mental gymnastics, etc etc.

I think we need to stay away from the "Old Boys" club anything. Time for NEW blood for this new era

I know it's been discussed but still don't get why he's such a warm favourite on here.

What multi-million dollar commercial deals - against a number of competitors in the same market - has he negotiated?

How many large organisations has he run or taken carriage over a major function for? I don't count running a footy department.

He might end up learning on the job but CV vs CV only, for mine he's not in Amarfio's stratosphere. I don't get it.

 

[The acurate one]

Well I hope we employee and then sack immediately the new CEO for the crap draft assistance package.
Should make us fans feel better and no one is above making mistakes and not paying for them.

 

[Zebrah]

Great job on the PP negotiation Ben.

 

[RossHenshaw]

Great job on the PP negotiation Ben.

Add it to another of his many heck ups

 

[apollo_creed]

I feel like these people won't be happy unless it's an ex AFL-mens footballer in the role, and nothing else matters.

Mental gymnastics, etc etc.

Yes, please keep telling us how perfect Ben was (just like David).

To accuse others of mental gymnastics is quite amusing considering the lengths you went to in defending Noble (and Amarifo) at every opportunity.

Something glass houses something stones.

 

[Event Horizon]

Once again, people seem to have forgotten that the Board chose a no-holes-barred, ground zero rebuild. The results were always going to be bad, even if Noble had have been competent.

If the Board chose to continue down the mediocre path, we would've kept the ageing C graders and maybe finished 10th. Did Amarfio have any say in the rebuild decision? Doubt it, but even if he did it was the right decision. We had to get a lot worse, go to the draft, get rid of the shitmen before we got better.

Yet some people want all the benefits of the rebuild - the high draft picks, the room in the salary cap, the clearing out of the dead wood - but none of the downside. Again, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

I think you’re confusing a well planned rebuild with just gutting your list, getting an incompetent coach in and collecting draft picks along with a spoon in the end of every season (although we couldn’t even get that right flushing 2022 picks down the toilet), and if we didn’t pull the pin in the nick of time and gotten Clarko, we’d have also lost some key players this year putting the so called rebuild further behind.

Amarfio had to go


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[amaz199]

Once again, people seem to have forgotten that the Board chose a no-holes-barred, ground zero rebuild. The results were always going to be bad, even if Noble had have been competent.

If the Board chose to continue down the mediocre path, we would've kept the ageing C graders and maybe finished 10th. Did Amarfio have any say in the rebuild decision? Doubt it, but even if he did it was the right decision. We had to get a lot worse, go to the draft, get rid of the shitmen before we got better.

Yet some people want all the benefits of the rebuild - the high draft picks, the room in the salary cap, the clearing out of the dead wood - but none of the downside. Again, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

I'm not entirely sure people were expecting much this season. We were expecting progression not regression and we managed to achieve the most consecutive run of 47+ point losses.

We were completely destroyed mentally and were physically intimidated. We were made to look weak. That's what got people upset.

Receiving two one hundred point beltings combined with an unacceptable amount of thumpings inbetween is just not good enough. We could barely get the ball beyond half forward and proceeded to play the most uninspiring game style.

I was there for every smashing we got and it's hard to accept it as part of the rebuild. You can be rebuilding and competitive. The issue is we could barely string together a quarter of competitive football.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

‘Rebuilds are meant to look like this’.

 

[tazaa]

To come away with 2 rookie list additions and a 2nd and 3rd rounder is a disappointing outcome.

Did Ben check out when he resigned?
All this work lobbying and for what?

 

[Sillygit]

To come away with 2 rookie list additions and a 2nd and 3rd rounder is a disappointing outcome.

Did Ben check out when he resigned?
All this work lobbying and for what?

we were never, ever, EVER, getting GC levels of assistance and it was pure fantasy to consider it possible

 

[tazaa]

we were never, ever, EVER, getting GC levels of assistance and it was pure fantasy to consider it possible

Still would have said a 1st rounder that WE can use is a non-negotiable. We didn’t even get that.

 

[blackshadow]

Still would have said a 1st rounder that WE can use is a non-negotiable. We didn’t even get that.

The reality is we never had the leverage to make anything non-negotiable. Best we could hope for is to put forward our best case and hope the AFL agreed with us.

What we received was underwhelming but I don't think you can sheet that home to Ben A or anyone at North.