MUNSTER NEEDED A new CEO. Avan Lee was qualified, interested and available.
He has wanted to work in Irish rugby for a long time and finished up a 10-year spell as CEO of the Hurricanes in his native New Zealand last December.
Lee has worked as a consultant with World Rugby since, as well as taking on a part-time role with Special Olympics New Zealand, but he had been hoping to hear from Ireland at some point.
Back in December when he left the Hurricanes, Lee signalled as much to IRFU CEO Kevin Potts.
And so, as it became clear that Ian Flanagan’s time as Munster CEO was coming to an end, the stars aligned. Lee is Flanagan’s successor and though he has signed an initial one-year contract as Munster’s interim CEO, the hope on all sides is that this will become a permanent, long-term appointment.
This is the culmination of an ambition on Lee’s part to join the Irish rugby family. This will be his third spell living in Ireland, having initially come in the 1990s on what Kiwis call ‘overseas experience’ and staying for seven years. He played rugby and cricket for Clontarf in Dublin during that time.
Having subsequently returned home to take on in a broadcasting and commercial role with New Zealand Rugby, Lee came back to Ireland in 2012 and spent three years working with World Rugby, first in a commercial position and then as manager of the 7s series.
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He became CEO of the Hurricanes in 2015 and spent just over a decade in that position but has always maintained a strong connection with Irish rugby and Ireland. His wife hails from Dublin, so it has been natural to keep abreast of everything here.
It’s understood that Lee was interested in the Munster CEO position last time around, but Flanagan was appointed at that stage in 2019. So this has been a long time coming.
Lee is a credible, serious appointment by Munster and the IRFU.
It’s worth underlining again that the IRFU directly contracts the CEOs of all four provinces, as well as the provinces’ head coaches. So the union has been centrally involved in leading the appointment of Lee at Munster.
Avan Lee [right] at a Hurricanes game in 2024. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
While Lee has a genuine connection to Ireland, he will arrive in Cork next week essentially as an outsider to Munster Rugby. That is likely viewed as a good thing by Munster and the IRFU. Lee will provide a fresh perspective on all aspects of the organisation.
However, the province and union certainly welcome the fact that Lee knows rugby so well, and from a few different angles. The expectation is that he will provide an ambitious but also realistic vision for what Munster can do to make quick improvements and also set themselves up for success in the longer term.
All interested parties felt that the new Munster CEO needed to have that rugby acumen. Lee had good times with the Hurricanes, winning Super Rugby in 2016 and then overseeing the development that culminated in their title this year, which came after he resigned, but he has experienced plenty of the harsh realities of rugby in terms of finances and personnel turnover.
The fact that Lee was undertaking his first briefing with the Irish rugby media a couple of hours before his appointment was announced on Wednesday highlights the fact that he is determined to be communicative with the public. That would be welcome for both the media and supporters alike.
Lee has already spoken with Munster head coach Clayton McMillan, general manager Ian Costello, and captain Tadhg Beirne. He doesn’t officially start until 21 October, but he is wasting no time in getting an understanding of what’s ahead.
He will get under the hood of other key areas of the business as soon as he’s on the ground, but building connections with the rugby side of the house is obviously pivotal.
Lee will likely have his own ideas about how best to engage more people to come to Munster games and how to generate more revenue, but doing all he can to help McMillan’s team to win more games will be the key focus.
Stability off the pitch would surely help that cause. Lee has already stated that it’s “not acceptable” for Munster to be the subject of critical stories in the public any longer. He clearly wants to steady the ship and get people talking about positive Munster stories.
A better rugby team, more commercial success, a more engaged and content fanbase, and bigger attendances. These are simple goals, but that’s not to say it will be easy getting there.
No one person can be a panacea for Munster’s travails, yet the appointment of Lee as the province’s new CEO looks like a step in the right direction.
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CEO appointment looks like a step in the right direction for Munster
MUNSTER NEEDED A new CEO. Avan Lee was qualified, interested and available.
He has wanted to work in Irish rugby for a long time and finished up a 10-year spell as CEO of the Hurricanes in his native New Zealand last December.
Lee has worked as a consultant with World Rugby since, as well as taking on a part-time role with Special Olympics New Zealand, but he had been hoping to hear from Ireland at some point.
Back in December when he left the Hurricanes, Lee signalled as much to IRFU CEO Kevin Potts.
And so, as it became clear that Ian Flanagan’s time as Munster CEO was coming to an end, the stars aligned. Lee is Flanagan’s successor and though he has signed an initial one-year contract as Munster’s interim CEO, the hope on all sides is that this will become a permanent, long-term appointment.
This is the culmination of an ambition on Lee’s part to join the Irish rugby family. This will be his third spell living in Ireland, having initially come in the 1990s on what Kiwis call ‘overseas experience’ and staying for seven years. He played rugby and cricket for Clontarf in Dublin during that time.
Having subsequently returned home to take on in a broadcasting and commercial role with New Zealand Rugby, Lee came back to Ireland in 2012 and spent three years working with World Rugby, first in a commercial position and then as manager of the 7s series.
He became CEO of the Hurricanes in 2015 and spent just over a decade in that position but has always maintained a strong connection with Irish rugby and Ireland. His wife hails from Dublin, so it has been natural to keep abreast of everything here.
It’s understood that Lee was interested in the Munster CEO position last time around, but Flanagan was appointed at that stage in 2019. So this has been a long time coming.
Lee is a credible, serious appointment by Munster and the IRFU.
It’s worth underlining again that the IRFU directly contracts the CEOs of all four provinces, as well as the provinces’ head coaches. So the union has been centrally involved in leading the appointment of Lee at Munster.
While Lee has a genuine connection to Ireland, he will arrive in Cork next week essentially as an outsider to Munster Rugby. That is likely viewed as a good thing by Munster and the IRFU. Lee will provide a fresh perspective on all aspects of the organisation.
However, the province and union certainly welcome the fact that Lee knows rugby so well, and from a few different angles. The expectation is that he will provide an ambitious but also realistic vision for what Munster can do to make quick improvements and also set themselves up for success in the longer term.
All interested parties felt that the new Munster CEO needed to have that rugby acumen. Lee had good times with the Hurricanes, winning Super Rugby in 2016 and then overseeing the development that culminated in their title this year, which came after he resigned, but he has experienced plenty of the harsh realities of rugby in terms of finances and personnel turnover.
The fact that Lee was undertaking his first briefing with the Irish rugby media a couple of hours before his appointment was announced on Wednesday highlights the fact that he is determined to be communicative with the public. That would be welcome for both the media and supporters alike.
Lee has already spoken with Munster head coach Clayton McMillan, general manager Ian Costello, and captain Tadhg Beirne. He doesn’t officially start until 21 October, but he is wasting no time in getting an understanding of what’s ahead.
He will get under the hood of other key areas of the business as soon as he’s on the ground, but building connections with the rugby side of the house is obviously pivotal.
Lee will likely have his own ideas about how best to engage more people to come to Munster games and how to generate more revenue, but doing all he can to help McMillan’s team to win more games will be the key focus.
Stability off the pitch would surely help that cause. Lee has already stated that it’s “not acceptable” for Munster to be the subject of critical stories in the public any longer. He clearly wants to steady the ship and get people talking about positive Munster stories.
A better rugby team, more commercial success, a more engaged and content fanbase, and bigger attendances. These are simple goals, but that’s not to say it will be easy getting there.
No one person can be a panacea for Munster’s travails, yet the appointment of Lee as the province’s new CEO looks like a step in the right direction.
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Avan Lee good fit Munster