The ACT Brumbies are delighted to appoint club legend Joe Roff to the position of Chair and extend their sincere thanks to Chief Executive Phil Thomson, who will step down at the conclusion of his current contract.
Roff, who completed his two-year appointment as Rugby Australia President at April’s Annual General Meeting, will lead a new Brumbies Board that includes:
- Doug Stuart, Senior Director at NetApp
- Alexandra Spark, GAICD, FCA, non-executive Director, former Deloitte partner
- Phil Waugh, Rugby Australia Chief Executive
- Alexandra Batten, Rugby Australia Director, Strategy & Special Projects
With two further appointments still to be confirmed, the new Brumbies Board will be tasked with driving strategy, innovation and growth at the club.
Roff scored 57 tries in 85 appearances for the Brumbies between 1996 and 2004, a period that included two Super Rugby titles (2001 and 2004). He is the Brumbies’ greatest ever try-scorer and the seventh most prolific in Super Rugby history across all franchises.
Roff was a member of the Brumbies’ foundation Super Rugby side in 1996 and inducted into the Brumbies Legends alongside fellow greats George Gregan and Stephen Larkham in 2021.
A two-time Australian Super Rugby Player of the Year, Roff has the rare distinction of having won a Rugby World Cup (1999), Tri-Nations (2000, 2001) and British & Irish Lions series (2001), among other accomplishments domestically and overseas.
Thomson has overseen a successful seven-year period from October 2018 as Brumbies CEO, including five Super Rugby semi-final appearances and the Super Rugby AU title in 2020. The Brumbies women’s team, which formed in Thomson’s first year as Brumbies CEO, played in five play-offs during that time.
Thomson previously served as interim Brumbies CEO from May to December 2016, Director and Chair of the ACT & Southern NSW Rugby Union between 2017 and 2018 and Brumbies team manager between 1996 and 2001. In between, he spent more than 15 years as Wallabies team manager and RA’s integrity lead.
His contract concludes on Friday 11 July after the Brumbies’ tour match against the British & Irish Lions at GIO Stadium on Wednesday 9 July.
Thomson’s planned departure continues the high-performance and commercial integration of the Brumbies into an aligned Rugby Australia system, which was signed in 2024 as part of a broader strategic reset and move towards financial stabilisation across Australian Rugby.
Newly-appointed ACT Brumbies Chair Joe Roff said:
“The Brumbies provided me with some of the best memories of my personal and professional life and I am humbled and excited to return to the club in the position of Chair.
“I am looking forward to reuniting with Head Coach Stephen Larkham, with whom I have a deep and enduring relationship, and helping the staff continue the great progress made in 2025 across the men’s and women’s programs.
“The role of the Brumbies in the Australian rugby landscape has never been more important with the pipeline of international events coming to our shores. Whilst as an organisation we will continue to strive towards winning the Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby Women’s competitions, we will also focus on continuing to provide Wallabies and Wallaroos toward national success on the international stage.
“I served as President of RA when the agreement was reached in 2024 to integrate the Brumbies’ high-performance and commercial programs into the national system and the benefits of that alignment are already being realised.
“I would like to thank Phil Waugh, Daniel Herbert and the RA Board for entrusting me to Chair the club that means so much to me, my family and the community of Canberra, where I am proud to call home.
“I would also like to offer my deep gratitude to Phil Thomson for all he has given to the Brumbies dating back to the club’s foundation season in 1996. As team manager, Chair and CEO Phil’s passion and commitment to the Brumbies is legendary in Canberra and he has been instrumental in positioning the franchise for future success. He will always be a part of our club.”
Outgoing Brumbies Chief Executive Phil Thomson said:
“I would like to thank everyone at the Brumbies for their contributions both on and off the field over the last seven seasons that I have been in the CEO role.
“We have all experienced some challenging times over that period and it has been a pleasure to work with everyone associated with the club and to see the commitment they have to the Brumbies and the game of rugby in the ACT and Southern New South Wales region.
“Following the transition with Rugby Australia in August last year, we can be proud of the fact that outwardly we have continued and will continue to operate as one organisation, still proudly wearing the Brumbies colours, delivering quality rugby programs in support of the game in the ACT&SNSW region, whilst inwardly having different structural and governance systems.
“It was a privilege to be the Brumbies Team Manager from 1996 to 2001 and to understand the foundations that this organisation was built on and that is the ‘people’…good quality, hardworking people who are here for the right reasons.
“To be able to come back to where it all started for me from May to December 2016 as interim Brumbies CEO, then as a Director and Chair of the ACT & Southern NSW Rugby Union between 2017 and 2018 and into the CEO role in October 2018, is something that I will cherish and remember forever.
“Finally, a special thanks and my great appreciation to the Brumbies Executive, ACT&SNSWRU Board of Directors and all staff, players, sponsors, partners, members and fans for their ongoing support during my time at the club.
“I wish the Brumbies and Rugby in Australia all the best for the future.”
