“From the outside,it looks like a complex leadership challenge,” McLachlan said.
“For me,that is quite compelling. I’m attracted to the challenge. To state the obvious,I’ve not led an ASX-listed company before,but in the end,I think the principles of leading the AFL apply:direct communication,transparency,and hopefully getting the job done.”
McLachlan will join the business in August and assume the role of managing director and chief executive upon all necessary approvals. He will act as an observer under executive chair Bruce Akhurst until then.
McLachlan,who left the AFL last year,recently signed as a senior adviser for Blackstone,the US private equity owner of Crown Resorts,in a part-time role. Tabcorp will pay him $1.5 million in addition to bonuses.
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The former AFL chief executive said there needed to be balance in the intersection between gambling,sport and broadcasting industries.
“There are different views on what balance looks like,” he said. “You’ve got[the government] weighing up their decisions and then there’s the companies themselves with their own views.”