John Smit will step down as Sharks chief executive officer at the end of the year‚ the rugby union said in a statement on Thursday.
Smit‚ the former Bok who captained South Africa to the World Cup triumph in 2007‚ wants to focus on his family.
“This decision to resign was not an easy one and it is based primarily on me wanting to focus more of my time on my young family‚” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
“It was an honour for me to represent the Sharks on the field‚ and it has been an honour for me to work for [them] off the field.
“I have enjoyed the last three years and greatly appreciate the continuing support of our chairman Stephen Saad‚ president Graham Mackenzie‚ SuperSport and the rest of the board.”
Saad said the union was grateful to Smit for “his contribution in guiding the Sharks through a period of transition over the past three years”.
One of Smit’s first moves as CEO was firing John Plumtree‚ the coach he had played under and who had mentored the team into the 2012 Super Rugby final.
Smit replaced him with Brendan Venter‚ and then hired Jake White and most recently Gary Gold.
The Sharks won the Currie Cup at Newlands in Smit’s first year as CEO in 2013‚ but their trophy cabinet has been bare since.
John Smit quitting as Sharks CEO to focus on his 'young family'
John Smit will step down as Sharks chief executive officer at the end of the year‚ the rugby union said in a statement on Thursday.
Smit‚ the former Bok who captained South Africa to the World Cup triumph in 2007‚ wants to focus on his family.
“This decision to resign was not an easy one and it is based primarily on me wanting to focus more of my time on my young family‚” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
“It was an honour for me to represent the Sharks on the field‚ and it has been an honour for me to work for [them] off the field.
“I have enjoyed the last three years and greatly appreciate the continuing support of our chairman Stephen Saad‚ president Graham Mackenzie‚ SuperSport and the rest of the board.”
Saad said the union was grateful to Smit for “his contribution in guiding the Sharks through a period of transition over the past three years”.
One of Smit’s first moves as CEO was firing John Plumtree‚ the coach he had played under and who had mentored the team into the 2012 Super Rugby final.
Smit replaced him with Brendan Venter‚ and then hired Jake White and most recently Gary Gold.
The Sharks won the Currie Cup at Newlands in Smit’s first year as CEO in 2013‚ but their trophy cabinet has been bare since.
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