New LTA Chief Executive

steven · Tennis legend

New LTA Chief Executive

steven · Tennis legend

The job spec is actually quite well-written, and gives a clue as to the priorities they expect the Chief Exec to have.

This one made me chuckle though:

"Able to be comfortable with oneself"

It strikes me they could have summarised a few of the criteria as "Not be like Roger Draper"

korriban · Challenger level

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jul/01/jennie-price-lta-sport-england

Oh No! More of the same.

Anyone who leads a body like Sport England can charm the birds from the trees and argue convincingly that black is white. The fact that she started launching such scathing attacks on the LTA and Draper only when she already knew that there was a significant political movement to kick him out sums up perfectly the skills needed within such public bodies.......keep yourself under the radar, never express an opinion unless you are forced to, but when your paymasters give you a clear steer on what to think, amplify it ten-fold and "own it" on their behalf.

Remember the Chairman has no tennis experience either.

Looking forward to yet another 5 year plan, with all of us being told that we will need to wait for another 5-10 years to see results......

I think there are going to be a lot of VERY unhappy tennis people indeed.

RBBOT · Futures qualifying

Sounds like the only way you are going to be happy is if they hire Ian Wilmut

RJA · Hall of fame

I share korriban's dismay over this.

TomTraubert · Futures level

really?
i thought lots give kudos for Price as the one most responsible for finally forcing Draper out by being critical of him and not releasing millions to the LTA budget due to poor performance and had atrack record of been critical solidly & more and more so of LTA since 2009 a long time before he was on the way out for sure
like - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10090210/Long-list-announced-for-LTA-chief-executive-role-suggests-era-of-change-for-British-tennis.html
and - http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jun/25/grassroots-tennis-funding-lta-wimbledon

most tennis people havent got a business record to manage a 250 staff business, and Draper was tennis people anyway
perhaps split the role so a business and a tennis person can handle the bit there experts in and not mess about with the bit they know little of

RJA · Hall of fame

TomTraubert wrote:
really?
i thought lots give kudos for Price as the one most responsible for finally forcing Draper out by being critical of him and not releasing millions to the LTA budget due to poor performance and had atrack record of been critical solidly & more and more so of LTA since 2009 a long time before he was on the way out for sure
like - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10090210/Long-list-announced-for-LTA-chief-executive-role-suggests-era-of-change-for-British-tennis.html
and - http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jun/25/grassroots-tennis-funding-lta-wimbledon

most tennis people havent got a business record to manage a 250 staff business, and Draper was tennis people anyway
perhaps split the role so a business and a tennis person can handle the bit there experts in and not mess about with the bit they know little of

The fact that someone may give kudos to Price, and I don't think that stating the obvious deserves much credit, doesn't mean that they consider her the right person for the job.

steven · Tennis legend

I don't know anything about Price, so if it is her, I'd rather give her a chance than judge her before she even starts. I'm certainly not blown away by the rumour, but that's because I don't really know anything about her - hopefully the interviewers do by now.

If she just jumped on the let's bash the LTA bandwagon in order to curry favour with the media and the Baroness (who, whether she is right or wrong about the LTA, appeared more incompetent than the people she was accusing of being incompetent when she got up and spoke in the Lords with a mixture of what sounded to me like dubious facts and factless soundbites), then that shows no moral courage at all. However, if that's all it was and she doesn't have any ideas of her own, she'd have been mad to go for the LTA job ... wouldn't she?

Also, if it was her Neil was referring to in a tweet a few days ago, then despite her LTA-bashing, she doesn't seem to have won any favour with the LTA's tormentor in chief (I was tempted to remind him that he said he'd give the next chief exec a chance - indeed, even I didn't expect him to have a go at the new person before they had even been announced!) but it would interesting to read why he thinks they have made a mistake.

I agree with Tom that there is a good case for the chief exec managing the business and leaving the tennis experts to look after the tennis side. Or maybe that is what Draper tried anyway?

RJA · Hall of fame

steven wrote:
I agree with Tom that there is a good case for the chief exec managing the business and leaving the tennis experts to look after the tennis side. Or maybe that is what Draper tried anyway?

I certainly agree that the Chief Executive should leaves certain things to the tennis experts but I would like to see a Chief Executive with a genuine love of tennis as well the required business and management skills.

steven · Tennis legend

Yes, that makes sense. Do we know for sure that Price doesn't have a genuine love of tennis?

RJA · Hall of fame

steven wrote:
Yes, that makes sense. Do we know for sure that Price doesn't have a genuine love of tennis?

No we don't, but her public record makes me suspicious.

Obviously if she gets the job it will only be fair to judge her by what she does so I won't be leading an immediate campaign to have her fired. All I can say is that I don't think she is the right type of person for the job.

PaulM · Tennis legend

It's not Price.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

PaulM wrote:
It's not Price.

On the ball, as always.

Link for anyone who wants it:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10158552/Lawn-Tennis-Association-rules-Sport-Englands-Jennie-Price-out-of-race-to-become-its-chief-executive.html

steven · Tennis legend

LOL - I can't remember which newspaper said it was Price, but Neil Harman is enjoying this:

"Jenni Price of Sport England has ruled herself out of the running for the LTA CEO role. Who had ever ruled her in?"

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Shambles at the LTA