Collar bomb girl's father lands top Aussie job
Bill Pulver, whose daughter was the victim of an extortion hoax, is the new A.R.U. chief executive
The father of an Australian schoolgirl at the centre of a sensational collar bomb extortion hoax was appointed the nation's new rugby union chief yesterday.
Bill Pulver, the head of the linguistics technology company Appen Butler Hill, was named John O'Neill's successor as chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union at the start of a big year for the sport, with the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour. O'Neill resigned in October after 14 years in the role.
The ARU chairman, Michael Hawker, said Pulver's experience in marketing, which included sports and entertainment sponsorship, as well as his devotion to rugby, made him the ideal candidate.
"We wanted someone with proven commercial success at CEO level, with international business experience and a love of rugby," Hawker said.
"The board also set priorities around good communication skills and an understanding of the world of sports marketing and media. Bill has all those attributes."
Pulver, 53, shot to fame in 2011 when a masked intruder broke into his luxury Sydney home and strapped a device around the neck of his daughter Madeleine, then 18, with a note attached claiming it was a bomb.