[ad_1]
Essendon’s new chief executive Andrew Thorburn has urged Bombers fans and the world to judge him by his actions, behavior and ability to “arm people” rather than his faith and association with a controversial church.
It comes as Victorian Premier Dan Andrews described some positions held by Thorburn’s church as “absolutely appalling” but said he would still renew his membership at Essendon.
The Bombers announced on Monday that Thorburn, the former NAB and Bank of NZ boss, had been appointed as the club’s new chief executive.
Watch every game of the AFLW season LIVE on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Hours later, Herald Sun details Thorburn’s Christian journey and how he became chairman of City on a Hill, an eight-church religious movement in Australia that has published sermons over the past decade that include anti-abortion and anti-homosexual positions.
The prime minister told reporters the views were “absolutely appalling” and “the intolerance … the hatred, the bigotry – it’s just wrong”. But asked if the club’s board should reconsider Thorburn’s appointment, Mr Andrews said: “That is entirely their matter.”
City of Port Phillip deputy mayor Tim Baxter revealed on Twitter that he had resigned his membership of the Bombers over the Essendon board’s decision to “appoint the chairman of a homophobic and anti-health church to the position of chief executive”, urging “anyone who cares for the rights of strangers’ to do the same.
“While the decision to appoint Brad Scott as coach was a good one in my opinion, the decision to appoint Andrew Thorburn as chief executive is a slap in the face of every queer member of Essendon, as well as any member or supporter who supports women’s rights to reproductive health,” Baxter wrote on Twitter.
“As a bisexual man, I cannot feel welcome in this club. @essendonfc your decision, when the club desperately needed a solid, undisputed way forward, instead took the club back to the dark ages and alienated your members.”
The Herald Sun reported that some Essendon supporters had written to the club asking it to reconsider Thorburn’s appointment.
Despite the revelations – and “plenty of reasons to be somewhat of a disappointed Essendon supporter” – Mr Andrews said he would renew his Bombers membership and encouraged all club members to do the same.
“The Essendon footy club is about more than one person,” Mr Andrews said.
“I hope we can appear on the back page of the paper a little more often than on the front page.”
Speaking of SEN Breakfast on Tuesday morning, Thorburn stressed that he was not part of the City on the Hill when some of the highlighted sermons were delivered — some in 2013 — and “never heard those things expressed since my time.”
Although Thorburn did not clarify his views on abortion or homosexuality, he said he does not always agree with what the corporate church expresses, but that it is important that all views can be said, heard and discussed respectfully.
“I also want to say that in the church, like any different place, there are many different points of view on all these issues. I have different views on all these issues,” he said SEN Breakfast.
“I’m not a pastor. My job as a manager is to make sure it runs well. I don’t always agree with what’s said, but that’s kind of beside the point.
“If you want a diverse society, that also means there will be people with different views. And I think as we move forward in Australia, it’s not about whether these views exist – because they do – the question of harmony is whether we can co-exist and hear each other and respect each other’s views. This is the issue of “I don’t agree with what you say, but I defend your right to say it.”
“I think people forget that the church does a lot of great things for disadvantaged people to help them – it still plays an important role in the community. That in itself is a diverse group, not everyone has the same opinion.”
Thorburn said he understood some of his church’s statements would be “offensive to people and upsetting people,” but pointed to his ability to lead large, diverse organizations in the past.
“First, my faith is a very personal thing. I think my faith has helped me become a better leader because at the center of my faith is the belief that you have to create community care for people and help people be safe and respect them as people,” he said .
“Secondly, I have been CEO for 12 years and this is my third stint as CEO. I was CEO of a bank with 5,000 people and CEO of a bank with 35,000 people and now I’m going to another organization. But in all this there is a diversity of people… of different races and sexual orientations, religions and cultures – that’s society, isn’t it? My role as CEO is to ensure that the organizations I lead – which I think is my record – are inclusive, welcoming, caring and diverse. I think it makes us a more human organization and makes us a better performing organization.
“My commitment, and it always has been, and I think my record is valid, is that I will build this organization and lead it. I personally feel that I am an example of this.
“I haven’t been a perfect CEO, but I think my respect for people, my care, my love, my welcoming style – I welcome all these people, everyone is welcome. So I really want people to look at this – look at my actions and my words as a leader and the organizations I’ve created to provide safe, diverse and inclusive workplaces. This is my record that I want people to look at and trust.”
Asked how he would respond to a gay player challenging him about his church’s views, Thorburn said: “I would say thank you, I respect and I care about you and you’re welcome in this organization and I want to hear what you think and to be sure , that you feel safe and can talk.
“So I want people to know who I am and how I lead and how I engage, that’s what they should count on.”
Thorburn said he was not surprised by the backlash that had followed his appointment at the Bombers after experiencing “little firestorms” at his previous jobs.
“People need to see how I act and how I behave and how I lead and equip people. But if people ask me about my faith, I express it,” he said.
“I fully respect that people will have a different perspective on what was said – and I kind of say that in a way I do – but it’s very important that people judge me on my actions and my words as a leader … and the second thing is , that the church itself has many different views, not everyone in the church agrees with these views, but it is very important in a society that these views can be expressed.
“And people should disagree with them, but respectfully.”
After being head of Bank of NZ from 2008 to 2014, Thorburn was chief executive of NAB. However, he was forced to resign from this position after the Royal Commission revealed abuses in the banking industry.
Thorburn, who was part of the club’s coaching sub-committee that recently appointed Brad Scott and led the external review launched under new president Dave Barham, said he wanted to return to the role of chief executive but did not expect it to be at an AFL club .
“I’ve been CEO for a long time, I’ve been away for a few years and, frankly, I’m starting to miss it. I love being part of a team, I love building an organization, creating a vision, developing people, making a profit, serving the community – I started to miss that,” he said.
“I didn’t think it would be this. But I’ve been a Bombers supporter all my life – I love the Bombers – and when they invited me in to do the review, which is still ongoing, you get a good insight into the issues. Like any good organization you look at, there are some strengths and some areas to work on – and I started to think that what the club needed was a few things, but I could help and that experience of my management and building teams and focusing people on execution, supporting players and supporting members, I thought I could be a pretty good match.
“Now is the time for Essendon to be united and aligned. So I think for some reason, the pillar of the organisation, the board and the CEO and the senior team through the coaches and the players, that pillar is not as tight as it should be. Once we get the right people in the right jobs and establish an open, trusting relationship with a clear sense of what we want to achieve, I think that alignment will come.”
[ad_2]
Source link