South African Andy Marinos has been named as the new SANZAR CEO.
Marinos, who will begin on January 1, is familiar with the job, having served in the role from 2008-2010 as well as holding a variety of positions in the South Africa Rugby Union in recent years.
He is currently the SARU’s general manager of marketing and commercial, his latest in a series of jobs at the union that has also included Springbok manager and acting managing director.
The 43-year-old said he was looking forward to taking up the role, with the expanded Super Rugby competition next year and the development in Southern Hemisphere rugby.
This year all four World Cup semi-final teams came from the Southern Hemisphere.
"I'm incredibly proud to have been given the responsibility of leading the ongoing growth and prosperity of Southern Hemisphere rugby,” he said.
"We are about to embark upon an exciting new expansion that will see us deliver the game to more countries, fans and commercial markets than ever before.
“The impressive performance of our four national teams at the recent Rugby World Cup was pleasing but the challenge for us is to not only ensure they remain at the top, but that we keep working to raise the bar even further both in terms of high performance and commercial success.
"I thank the Board for its confidence in me and look forward to commencing with this talented and dedicated team in the new year."
The Wales international replaces Greg Peters in the CEO job, after Peters took the job as the head of the Argentinian Rugby Union.
