New Zealand Rugby has spoken to Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks about returning home and leading the organisation as its new chief executive.
Sources have confirmed to 1News that Marks, 50, is one of those targeted to replace Mark Robinson, who stepped down after six years in the role and is about to join his family to Australia.
Marks was born in Auckland and raised on the city’s North Shore before leaving to play in the NBA – the first Kiwi to do so.
Since retiring from a 13-year playing career, which included stints at the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, Marks has built a reputation as an astute administrator in a cut-throat sporting world.
In 2016, he joined the Nets as its general manager and has been credited with turning around what was a struggling franchise, helped in part due to his key free agency signings of stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Five years ago, Forbes magazine published a profile on Marks headlined: “Sean Marks transformed Brooklyn Nets from laughingstock into contender”.
In it, Mike Forde, a former director at Chelsea football club who advised the Nets during the hiring process, is quoted as saying: “What impressed me about Sean was not only was he a hardworking guy, but he also had a high IQ and an innate ability to work with different departments.
“On paper, hiring Sean didn't make sense since he was only four years removed from the end of his playing career,” Forde added.
“But he was prepared. He had strong values and principles, and believed in collaboration. He pulled the right levers, but I don’t think he cut any corners. His ability to communicate is his No. 1 strength.”
However, a significant barrier to Marks returning with wife Jennifer and their four sons will be the salary on offer from NZ Rugby.
In 2016, Marks signed a four-year contract worth $US9 million (now $NZ15.6m) and will be on significantly more now given his success.
The top administrator at NZ Rugby would earn in the region of $700,000 to $800,000 per year.
If nothing else, targeting Marks is an indication of both NZ Rugby’s ambition and how it views the scale of its modern chief executive role as it seeks to stabilise its governance and financial position after a couple of rocky years which has included selling off a part of its equity to US fund manager Silver Lake.
It is understood that former Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran has also been spoken to about the role, as has current One NZ boss Jason Paris and Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich. Another high-profile Kiwi name in the mix is David White, the former New Zealand Cricket boss.
There are conflicting messages about the potential timing of the new appointment.
One source told 1News that NZ Rugby was still hopeful of making an announcement before the end of the year while another said it would likely be within the first quarter of next year.
A potential wrinkle in the process is that NZ Rugby must also appoint a new chief financial officer and chief commercial officer following Craig Fenton’s departure in January, 11 months into his role.
It is understood some candidates for the chief executive role were concerned they would not have a say in those appointments.
The NZ Herald recently reported Steve Lancaster, the current general manager of community rugby, would be installed as an interim chief executive.
There is a sense that, with the astute David Kirk – the NZ Rugby chairman and former All Blacks captain – on board, the organisation is in safe hands. But there has also been talk that Robinson was asked to delay his departure until a successor was named.
Another factor in terms of the NZ Rugby leadership is the signing off of the All Blacks' review of 2025, a year in which Scott Robertson's men lost three of 13 Tests, including a humiliation to the Springboks in Wellington – a defeat put back into sharp focus after the Rugby World Cup draw that likely has the All Blacks and South Africa contesting a quarter-final in 2027.
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