Humble Pie exit for Pert as CEO

OUTGOING Collingwood chief executive Gary Pert will remain at the club until the transition to Peter Murphy, the architect of a review into the Pies’ on and off-field operations, is completed.

An emotional Pert yesterday announced his resignation after 10 years in charge.

The contracted administrator said the timing of the decision was partly to do with him not wanting to make calls on people’s jobs beyond this year, if he too is not part of the future.

“We are reviewing the future and we’re looking at the longerterm elements, and there is also decisions on people and structures around next year, which all starts to roll out at this time of the year,” Pert said.

“Ethically, I don’t want to be part of or in the room when decisions are being made about people into the future when I’m not going to be there.”

Pert told Magpies president Eddie McGuire last week about his plans to resign.

The Magpies board is scheduled to meet tonight where elements of the Murphy review could be discussed.

Pert said he had supported the review by businessman Murphy and the potential ben- efits of a “different set of eyes” assessing club operations.

Discussions with Murphy throughout the year prompted Pert to consider his own future.

“As a CEO, it forces you to think that if we’re creating this magnificent vision and blueprint of the future, ‘am I going to be the one that’s actually going to be leading that during the period of time’,” Pert said.

“If I’m not (then) I’ve got the responsibility to go to the board and put my hand up and say after 10 years my time’s up and it’s my time to step aside.”

Pert yesterday said he did not enter into the season thinking it would be his last.

“I think it evolved during those conversations (with Murphy) about this planning for the future and I think these times are really exciting,” he said.

Pert yesterday indicated he had no intention of pursuing any jobs at AFL headquarters, following the resignation of senior executives last week.

McGuire praised Pert’s career at Collingwood.

“Gary has been selfless in making the call at a time that suits the club,” McGuire said.

“No one knows better about the running of the club than Gary the CEO and he’s picked his time in the context of everything else that’s happening here at the moment.”