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Duco Promotions has appointed former head of New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup 2011 Martin Snedden as head of the sporting events company as it chases international growth
Snedden will join the Auckland-based company as chief executive in November. The former test cricketer has previously headed up New Zealand Cricket, and is still on its board, before switching codes to take the top job organising New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup in 2007. He was most recently chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association. Snedden is also on the board of Auckland’s 2017 World Masters Games.
“Martin Snedden as group chief executive has shown he is a great pair of hands with an unbroken track record of success,” Duco director David Higgins told BusinessDesk. “He will bring to the table massive credibility, he can open a lot of doors and he’s also a good leader and manager of people. We’re growing and we want to get to the next level.”
Duco is boxer Joseph Parker’s promoter as well as the founder of NRL Auckland Nines and Fight For Life, a charity boxing event which typically features bouts between rugby league and rugby union players. Higgins said they recently signed Australian Olympic boxer Jeff Horn.
The company focuses on sporting events where it can own the content and earn across a variety of revenue streams including local and international broadcasting rights, as well as ticketing.
The appointment is part of a push to earn $100 million in annual turnover over the next few years through further international growth by holding major sporting events in Australia and the UK as well as more boxing events in the US, Higgins said.