Advertisement

Collar bomb victim's dad Bill Pulver to head ARU

Collar bomb victim's dad Bill Pulver to head ARU

Bill Pulver, the father of collar bomb hoax victim Madeline, says he believes he's finally found his true calling after becoming the new chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).

The multi-millionaire businessman was unveiled on Wednesday as the replacement for long-serving former CEO John O'Neill.

Pulver, who landed the job ahead of 50 people worldwide who had expressed interest, has served as CEO of companies in Australia, Japan, the UK and the US for the past two decades.

A former rugby player with the University of NSW, Pulver is relishing the switch to sporting administration with the ARU.

"I'm 53 years old and I think I've finally discovered what I wanted to do with my life," Pulver said.

"I have for the last 20 years been a chief executive working in a very-diverse range of industries and now I feel incredibly privileged to be able to take those CEO skills and apply them to the game I love."

Pulver promised to consult "relentlessly" with Australian rugby stakeholders to ensure a collaborative approach.

He also said it was important to maintain a high-performance culture to ensure the Wallabies could be the No.1 team in the world.

The Pulver family made headlines in 2011 when the collar bomb hoax occurred at their family home in Mosman.

Madeline's attacker was jailed in November for 10 years.