Canterbury Bulldogs appoint Raelene Castle as Chief Executive

The Canterbury Bulldogs have announced the appointment of Raelene Castle as their new Chief Executive - the first woman to run an NRL club in 15 years.

Castle, the current Chief Executive of Netball New Zealand, is to replace Todd Greenberg at the Bulldogs with Greenberg moving a sernior role at the NRL.

Castle will follow the path of Liz Dawson, another New Zealand female sport administrator, who was Chief Executive of the Adelaide Rams during Super League and in early 1998. Donna Burke also served as Cronulla Chief Executive in 1988 and 1989.

Welcoming her appointment, the Australian born Castle stated "I believe my appreciation of its history and the importance of the game to the Australian sporting landscape will be an excellent platform for the business acumen I bring to this role.

"The strong governance, sound financial standing, alongside the priority the Bulldogs place on community engagement provide with me an excellent opportunity to continue the substantial growth the business has shown in recent times.

"I am excited for the opportunities ahead for this club and for rugby league and I will look to continue a Bulldogs tradition of innovation and strong leadership to ensure we can make the most of them."

Castle, who has held her position with Netball New Zealand since 2007, is considered the most influential woman in New Zealand Sport. She helped establish the Trans-Tasman netball tournament and also has sponsorship and event management experience with the Rugby World Cup and America's Cup.

She also has corporate experience in New Zealand with Telecom, Fuji Xerox and the Bank of New Zealand.

Announcing the appointment, Bulldogs Cchairman Ray Dib said Castle was a standout applicant, stating "her combination of business and marketing acumen coupled with her experience with high performance athletes was unrivalled."

NRL Chief Executive David Smith agreed the Bulldogs have chosen the best candidate for the job and expects there to be increasing roles for women in the game.

Smith welcomed the appointment, stating "there are exciting opportunities opening in rugby league and this shows an ability to attract the best candidates, both male and female.

"It is also worth acknowledging the significance of a female Chief Executive and the message of opportunity that the appointment sends to women in our game.

"I've said before there is a place for more women in decision making roles in rugby league and we need to be even more inclusive in the years ahead."

Recruitment for this position was managed by Sportspeople International - global, executive search.

Castle will start at the Bulldogs in July.

24th April 2013 - KEY APPOINTMENTS TO AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMMISSION