Media Insider: NZ Rugby chief financial officer Jo Perez resigns, latest in a string of leadership departures

The organisation has been forced to go to the High Court after one of its major sponsors, Ineos, cancelled – three years early – its six-year All Blacks shorts and training tops sponsorship.

The deal is worth $21 million a year, and NZR is now seeking a new sponsor, while also fighting legally to salvage as much as it can from Ineos.

NZR is also in high-stakes negotiations with Sky TV over the renewal of the TV rugby rights deal from next year. Sky is understood to be offering NZR a new annual fee of $85m – if that comes to pass, it would be a $26m annual reduction on the existing deal.

While Perez has not been involved directly in the negotiations with Sky TV – and her departure has nothing to do with that or the Ineos legal fight – her successor will be responsible for overseeing the organisation’s balance sheet and annual budget.

Coincidentally, Sky TV’s chief financial officer, Ciara McGuigan, resigned with immediate effect two weeks ago – publicly listed Sky announces its half-year results this Friday.

Perez’s departure follows the surprise resignation of Craig Fenton as the chief executive of NZR’s commercial company after less than a year in the role. He resigned in October and officially left in January.

NZR broadcast and media rights general manager Ged Mahony left in February last year, along with two other senior leaders around the same time – Claire Beard left as head of women’s rugby while chief people, safety and wellbeing officer Andrea Brunner joined Southern Cross as a senior executive.

New Zealand Rugby chief communications and brand officer Charlotte McLauchlan left in late 2023.

The departure of those three senior women in relatively quick succession – like Perez, McLauchlan and Brunner had also been on the NZR executive – raised eyebrows in some quarters in February last year but the union said at the time that they are were all unrelated.

It reiterated that message on Monday, in light of Perez’s resignation for personal reasons. “We have normal staff turnover… people move on to good roles all the time,” said a spokesperson.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Perez has been with NZR for more than two-and-a-half years, starting as CFO in June 2022.

Prior to that she was a senior executive at the Department of Corrections – firstly as chief financial officer and then as deputy chief executive – finance, planning and assurance.

She has also held senior roles at Trade Me, Merck & Co, AXA, Telecom (now Spark) and KPMG.

According to her biography on the NZR website, she has led the corporate services business unit, “responsible for the group finance, legal, strategy, planning and performance functions across NZR and NZRC and their respective boards”.

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor.