Craig Fenton - Not your typical rugby administrator

As CEO of NZ Rugby Commercial it’s Craig Fenton’s job to drive the business of the All Blacks, Black Ferns, and rugby in New Zealand.

But Craig hasn’t come through the traditional pathway of rugby!

He worked in technology in the UK for 25 years, including six years at Google where he was at the cutting edge of all the latest trends and developments with AI and technology.

He hosted his own podcast, he owns a record label and a film production company, and he has his pilot’s license, and he’s dialled in to the latest trends on content creation.

He started out his professional life as a lawyer who worked on the original deal to turn rugby professional before quitting to chase an MBA in international business on the other side of the world.

Craig's a larger-than-life character, energetic, into technology – a self-titled geek who is an exceptionally hard worker.

And he’s a great chat.

In the episode, we discuss:

• The deal that helped turn rugby professional in 1996

• What he learned from working at Google

• Why creativity is the #1 skill for any business

• Content creation in sport

• The business of rugby

He’s lived an exceptional life so far, but you get the feeling the next chapter might be his best.

We think you’ll get a tonne out of this episode!

Best Laugh: The time Craig wrote and performed a rap for the Black Ferns Sevens

Best Insight: Craig’s thoughts for the day that he shares on the family chat

Biggest Surprise: Insights into working at Google (yes everything you see on The Internship is true!) and what’s around the corner in terms of Artificial Intelligence and technology

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