Cape Town - Two candidates have emerged as the early front-runners to replace Barend van Graan as CEO of the Blue Bulls Company.
The Pretoria-based franchise announced last month that Van Graan’s contract would expire at the end of January 2019.
According to Netwerk24, Titans CEO Jacques Faul and former Varsity Sports CEO Duitser Bosman are believed to be among the leading candidates to take over.
Faul has helped turn the Titans into the dominant cricket franchise in South Africa, while Bosman has helped spearhead the successful Varsity Cup rugby event.
Bosman late last month said he would leave his post as CEO of Varsity Sports, but he insists the timing of his announcement was mere coincidence.
He says he was looking at “several opportunities”.
“If it means that in future I could be involved with an unbelievable brand like the Bulls, then it would definitely be a consideration,” Bosman said.
Blue Bulls president Willem Strauss said he could not “deny or confirm whether there are high profile candidates that have shown interest”.
He added that they would start with the process within the next two weeks.
"The stronger the candidate, the better,” Strauss said.
Bosman was CEO of Varsity Cup from its formation in 2007 and as the competition expanded to include the Varsity Shield (2011) and Young Guns (2012) competitions until today.
In 2013, these rugby competitions were outsourced to ASEM for management. At the same time, Varsity Sports, which eventually incorporated netball, hockey, soccer, athletics, sevens rugby, volleyball, cricket, mountain biking, basketball and a choir competition, was founded.
Earlier this year, the schools component was added to the business, with competitions initially in athletics, netball and sevens rugby. Bosman ends this part of his career as CEO of Varsity Cup, Varsity Sports and School Sports.
