ZRG, one of the world’s fastest growing talent firms, and its
TurnkeyZRG sports, entertainment & media practice, today
announced the appointment of Troy de Haas as leader of ZRG’s Sport
& Entertainment Practice for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, de Haas has over 10 years of
experience working in a variety of roles in the sports world before
founding TDH Sport & Entertainment agency in Hong Kong. Troy de
Haas has successfully transitioned from on-field talent (athletes
& teams) to off-field talent (the business of sport), where he
was most recently Partner and Head of the APAC Sport &
Entertainment practice at Odgers Berndtson. As one of the region’s
most trusted figures, an unparalleled network of industry
relationships and deep understanding of complex APAC nuances has
led to him supporting some of the most significant organizations,
federations, leagues, clubs and teams with the leaders that shape
them.
His previous executive positions also included Director of
Sports at BMC in Switzerland and Director of Sales & Marketing
at Thanyapura Sports Resort in Thailand. As a former elite athlete,
Troy represented Australia at the international level over 17 times
in Mountain Running and Orienteering, where he made history as the
first non-European to medal at a World Championship event.
“Troy de Haas built the region’s most successful sports
recruitment practices, essentially from scratch, in a part of the
world that did not extensively utilize executive search in sports,”
said Len Perna, Chair and CEO of TurnkeyZRG. “Troy joins us at a
time when ZRG is the fastest growing search firm globally based on
a data-driven, ‘Moneyball’ approach to identifying and evaluating
candidates, which is very applicable in sports, which keeps score
of everything.”
“Troy has worked with sports entities of the grandest scale,
including the Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games,
Swimming Australia, Athletics Australia, Motorsport Australia, and
throughout Rugby in Fiji, Hong Kong and Japan,” Perna added. “He
will be a huge asset to our firm’s ambitions and bring a wealth of
existing regional relationships, track-record, and insights.”
“Troy will also be instrumental in ZRG’s broader international
growth in Australia and will be our first Managing Director in
Asia,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “We are thrilled to have
him join our firm as we set our sights on continued global
growth.”
De Haas joins TurnkeyZRG, the leading firm in sports,
entertainment, and media in the U.S., from Odgers Berndtson, where
he was Partner and Head of Asia-Pacific Sport & Entertainment.
This move comes at a time when ZRG, TurnkeyZRG’s parent company, is
one of the fastest growing global talent advisory firms in the
world.
“Troy de Haas is a top sports executive recruiter here in
Australia and APAC,” said Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia and
the Australian Open. “TurnkeyZRG and Troy will have an
immediate impact in this market and the partnership reinforces the
significant sports and entertainment growth in Australia and
APAC.”
Aside from his new role at ZRG, Troy currently serves as a
committee member of the Gruppetto Fund, a fund that helps support
Australian youth programs and activities, and a Board Member and
Director of Marketing & Communications for Orienteering
Australia. Troy will split his time between Asia and Australia,
where he will continue to be a trailblazer in identifying and
sourcing leadership talent to propel his clients to success on the
international stage.
"The USA has long established the international standard in the
Sports and Entertainment industry, renowned for its
professionalism, innovation, and unparalleled commercialization.
Thus, partnering with North America's leader, TurnkeyZRG, to
introduce its exclusive Zi digital platform and capabilities to
this region will be a game changer for APAC, the world's
fastest-growing sports market," said Troy de Haas, Managing
Director of APAC TurnkeyZRG.
About TurnkeyZRGTurnkeyZRG is North America’s
top talent advisory and search firms in sports, music and
entertainment with more than 1,800 placements since 1996.
TurnkeyZRG has placed CEOs, Presidents, Commissioners, and other
executives, spanning all functional areas, into the NFL, NBA, MLB,
NHL, MLS, SUM, NWSL, NASCAR, Indy Car, tennis, golf, college
sports, etc. Recently TurnkeyZRG placed the Commissioners of the
ACC, PAC-12, Big 12, Big Ten and the President of the NCAA and the
firm was ranked as the 4th most influential player in college
sports. Since being acquired by ZRG in 2020, TurnkeyZRG has
experienced tremendous growth from implementing ZRG’s data-driven,
tech-driven talent process.
About ZRG ZRG is a global search and talent
advisory firm with 30+ offices on five continents that provides
people solutions for our clients' most complex talent issues. Core
offerings include revolutionary, data-based, executive search
focusing on senior leadership around the world. ZRG’s suite of
on-demand (interim) talent offerings help fill open roles and
address project-based work with specialized talent. The firm’s
consulting and advisory solutions focus on key issues like “culture
fit,” strategic alignment, coaching, and sales optimization. Visit
the company’s new website ZRGpartners.com.
ZRG is a global talent advisory firm that is changing the way
companies hire and manage talent. ZRG’s data-driven approach to
executive and professional search has been changing the way clients
think about how to find top talent. The company’s digital Zi
platform combines talent intelligence, candidate insights, and
process improvement to dramatically deliver executive searches
quicker and with proven better results.
Today, with the help of private equity investor RFE Investment
Partners, ZRG is among the fastest-growing firms in the search
industry and provides a full suite of retained search, on-demand
talent, and consulting and advisory solutions across the Americas,
Asia, Europe, and Australia.
About RFE Investment PartnersFounded in 1979,
RFE Investment Partners is a private equity investor with a
long-standing small buyout heritage and a time-tested strategy for
growing businesses. RFE equips companies with the capabilities and
resources to scale by leveraging the extensive operational
expertise, financial acumen, and broad business network of the RFE
team. Through over 75 small buyout transactions, RFE has
consistently guided portfolio companies through multiple business
cycles while driving value creation. RFE invested in ZRG Partners
in December 2018, providing the tools and guidance needed to expand
the capabilities and product offerings of the company, as well as
grow the business on an international scale.
Contact: John Mooney, (908) 720-6057,
john@overthemoonpr.com.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e31a60ee-844c-40c1-bd68-f6d231444dda