John Khoury, Canterbury’s chairman, has announced his resignation after four years in office.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, confirmed that data analytics expert Adam Driussi, co-founder of billion-dollar company Quantium, will be elected to succeed him.
According to Canterbury sources, Khoury and his fellow directors have no animosity and will continue to serve on the board.
Khoury will formally announce the changes and introduce the new chairman at the Canterbury League Club’s annual general meeting on Sunday.
“Throughout my tenure as chairman, our board has always maintained a club-first mantra leading with actions and this is something I have always lived by,” Khoury said in a statement to this masthead.
“I am extremely proud of my accomplishments as chair in all aspects of the club, and I have always believed in succession planning. We have a succession plan in place, and we are fully committed to seeing it through.
“What everyone should understand is that this is a unanimous decision. I intend to continue serving as a dual director of both football and league clubs, of which I am extremely proud. It’s disappointing to see news emerge ahead of the AGM and my scheduled update. I am as supportive of the Bulldogs as ever, and I will make my announcement on Sunday.”
Khoury has presided over a turbulent period in the club’s history, succeeding predecessor Lynne Anderson after she and her two most trusted directors, Paul Dunn and John Ballesty, resigned at an extraordinary general meeting in 2020. Khoury appointed Driussi to the board in 2022.
Driussi is an actuary who co-founded Quantium, a data analytics company with clients that include Woolworths, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Walmart, and Qantas. In 2021, Woolworths paid $223 million for a 25% stake in Quantium.
Driussi spoke with this masthead on Friday afternoon, but declined to comment on the board changes. However, he denied any suggestion of unrest at the board level.
“John has done an outstanding job building a stable board where we are all close friends,” he said.
“The notion that there are rival factions within the board or disharmony within the board couldn’t be further from the truth.”
There were concerns that a rival ticket would nominate candidates for the board at the AGM, but the directors will be reappointed unopposed.
Driussi spoke with this masthead on Friday afternoon, but declined to comment on the board changes. However, he denied any suggestion of unrest at the board level.
“John has done an outstanding job building a stable board where we are all close friends,” he said.
“The notion that there are rival factions within the board or disharmony within the board couldn’t be further from the truth.”
There were concerns that a rival ticket would nominate candidates for the board at the AGM, but the directors will be reappointed unopposed.
Canterbury is in the midst of a rebuild under coach Cameron Ciraldo, who, along with general manager Phil Gould, has begun to replace a roster that has struggled in recent years.
The Bulldogs have signed Stephen Crichton, a three-time premiership winner from the Penrith Panthers, as well as Connor Tracey (Sharks), Blake Taaffe (Rabbitohs), Jaeman Salmon (Panthers), Josh Curran (Warriors), Drew Hutchison (Roosters), Kurt Mann (Knights), Jake Turpin (Roosters), and Bronson Xerri (drug ban).
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