1. Biz Network July August 2021 1-36.qxp_Chamberlink 30/06/2021 11:36 Page 28
THE BIG INTERVIEW
Leading the way during trying times As CEO of Leicester Tigers, Andrea Pinchen is front and centre of one of the region’s most famous sports clubs and a titan in English rugby. After coming through a first year in charge that involved overcoming financial challenges previously unheard of in the club’s 140-year history, she speaks to Dan Robinson about navigating stormy Covid waters and her journey to the top of the sport industry. ndrea Pinchen was only a few weeks into her new job when she addressed fans via Leicester Tigers’ in-house TV channel to inform them the club had decided to release five high-profile players, including England international Manu Tuilagi. The announcement in early July 2020 followed discussions about the club’s decision to impose 25% wage reductions for higher earners in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had also led to 31 of the 160 non-playing and coaching staff being made redundant. Agreements couldn’t be made with the five stars in question and confirmation of a parting of ways was one of the first key tasks for Andrea, who had been appointed CEO two months earlier after climbing the ladder during 17 years at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road club. “That was a really tough time in which we had to make some very, very difficult decisions,” she recalls. “It was a massive learning curve because how do you handle that? It’s not a negotiation where we say ‘we would like to do this, how do you feel about that?’ This was about survival and we needed to curb the wage bill. “Making that announcement as one of my first tasks in the new job was out of my comfort zone but the decision-making process was that no single player was bigger than the club, and no-one would be treated any differently to the next person. “It was tough but that started to rebuild the culture to succeed, in which everyone is clear about the direction we’re heading in.”
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DESPITE BEING NEW to the top role, Andrea’s vast career experience positioned her well to drag the club through to the other side. Born and bred in Leicestershire – originally from Birstall, just north of Leicester, she now lives in Hoby, near Melton Mowbray – her first job was in private healthcare sales back in 1985. A desire for something new led her to the airline Emirates, initially working in cabin crew before progressing through the ranks to cabin service director and eventually delivering training programmes in leadership, management and aviation security, based in Dubai. Andrea says: “I’d initially thought I’d go there for six months and travel around the world, then come back, but I ended up being with Emirates for 11 years. “It was a great opportunity for my development because I was exposed to so many cultures. There were more than 110 different nationalities within the crew and you’d never be kept with the same group, so I was always learning. “When I look back now, I can see how the experience really stood me in good stead to communicate with 28
business network July/August 2021
different people from all walks of life. I’m forever grateful for that.” After 11 years with Emirates, it was time for a change once again. But having worked with Dubai’s police force on aviation security, mitigating the threat of hijacking and bombs, the idea of returning to a normal nine-to-five job didn’t have much appeal. At the beginning of 2004, Andrea entered the sports industry at Welford Road. While her chosen sport during her youth was the speedway – she watched the Leicester Lions with her dad and sister – she needed no introduction to the city’s rugby club. “Who doesn’t know the Tigers, coming from Leicester?” Her first role was as ticket sales manager and it didn’t take long to introduce some subtle but important changes. Andrea explains: “Really early on, I wanted to change from a reactive box office, where someone would ring us and we’d sell them a ticket, to a proactive approach where we had to find a way of filling all these seats.” She also changed older working habits that were “inherent” within the club, such as treating players who wanted to buy tickets for friends and family as colleagues rather than ordinary customers, which helped integrate various parts of the organisation.
TIGERS ROARING BACK UP THE LEAGUE Leicester Tigers are on their way back after almost hitting the bottom, believes Andrea. The club, which is one of the most successful in England, hasn’t won the Premiership since 2013 and came within one place of relegation in the two seasons before the campaign that recently ended. In the 2020/21 season, head coach Stephen Borthwick guided the Tigers to an improved sixth position and a European Challenge Cup final that they narrowly lost to Montpellier. Andrea says: “A number of things have happened. We’ve probably been guilty of doing the same thing to maintain the success we’ve had. “At the same time, we didn’t see how other clubs have mimicked what we were doing but then driven on, and before we knew it we’d been overtaken.” The gradual erosion of culture at the club identified by Andrea has also focused her mind when it comes to placing the right people in the right roles, while equipping them with KPIs to help hit common goals. “Everyone is now clear on the direction we’re going in,” she adds. “We’ve hit the bottom and are on our way back up. But we’re just at step one on a long journey and there’s a lot of work to do.”
