Registered: Dec 2012
Location: BC, Ontario (and a few other places too...)
Posts: 268

http://www.curling.ca/blog/2016/02/...son-as-new-ceo/

It would be nice if just once they hired someone with a bit of background in the sport itself. Just once.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2668

They need a CEO who can market the game, negotiate broadcast rights and snag lucrative sponsors.

But they urgently need a replacement for Warren Hansen who has an in depth knowledge of the game. Word was that he and the previous CEO did not get along and Warren was turfed. Maybe they can bring him back.

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Registered: Mar 2011
Location:
Posts: 15

I don't think there is any need to bring Warren back and he may not have any interest in that anyway. He did wonderful things for the game over a long career and built up the National Championships into what they are today. Some things he did people liked and other things he did they did not like but that's the nature of making decisions that play out in front of millions of people. Things are different in today's game both at the competitive level and the grass roots level and some new fresh perspectives may be a welcome change. Good fundamentals in leadership, respect, common sense analysis, strong financial management and surrounding yourself with a leadership team you can entrust to drive good decisions rather than dictate to will always lead to success. The CEO and her team need to start by listening to all levels of player, Provincial/Territorial Association and fans from Coast to Coast and from North to South about what they like and dislike about the state of the game, our national championships, our grass roots promotion etc etc.

Any new CEO should spend many months listening to a lot, and I mean a lot, of people's perspectives. Knee jerk reactions or some vision of coming in with a template of success to just drop into the new gig does not lead to good decisions. The good news is she enters an organization that is relatively healthy on the financial side and has a good track record of running events that maintain that financial strength. It also has the luxury of being a very popular TV commodity with an incredible broadcast partner in TSN. What that means is she will have the luxury of some time to properly analyze, strategize and build short term and long term objectives for the future of this great game and all the relationships that are necessary to support that for the long term.

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Registered: Sep 2002
Location: vernon bc
Posts: 2340

OMG, here we go again with another non-curler as the head of the CCA.

Hey, I'll give the woman props for her business experience and success at the Pan-American games. But none of that is directly transferable to curling. We've made another horrible hiring mistake.

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: BC, Ontario (and a few other places too...)
Posts: 268

I won't knock her experience at marketing and revenue generation, and I'm sure she will succeed on that side of things for Curling Canada.

The problem... the big problem... I have with hiring someone that has zero curling experience at any level is that you have no clue regarding the culture of the sport.

She will continue to generate revenue for Curling Canada, which means flogging the high end (professional) side of curling. That's what generates the sponsors and television revenue. And I'm sure the athletes at that level of curling will have a voice on how things are run.

But what about someone who understands that curling in Canada is more than just the professional side of things? Curling is more than revenue generation and promotion of the professional side of the sport. It should be just as much about supporting the club and social side of the sport, as well as to encourage more (amateur) competition, not less.

Now, my understanding is that she has experience with Rugby Canada (on the board) and has been a supporter of the sport at the club level for quite a while. Which is a good thing, as their are many similarities between rugby and curling (in terms of the social and recreational aspects of the sports). But... well, there are significant differences too.

Unfortunately, at this point, I see this as a bit more of a step to moving Curling Canada and our sport towards a professional footing (at the competitive level), in order to generate more revenue.

Time will tell, but I stand by my first comment... I really wish Curling Canada could have found someone with a bit of first-hand curling knowledge to be our CEO.

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Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.
- Calvin (Calvin & Hobbs)

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Registered: Jan 2011
Location:
Posts: 1962

Anne Merklinger turned the job down months ago. She would have been perfect. Own the podium must pay great money.

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Registered: Apr 2014
Location: In the House
Posts: 608

Isn't this kind of like appointing an American who has never been to Canada as Canadian Prime Minister?

"Katherine Henderson will assume her new role as Curling Canada�s Chief Executive Officer on April 1, it was announced today..."
Maybe it's just an April Fool's joke...

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