NORTH Melbourne has poached highly regarded administrator Eugene Arocca from Collingwood, to take up the chief executive officer's position at the Kangaroos.
Arocca has been chief operating officer at the Magpies since May last year.
Current CEO Rick Aylett handed in his resignation prior to Christmas and North Melbourne chairman James Brayshaw said the club was thrilled to have filled the post with such a highly qualified candidate.
"Eugene comes armed with an enormous range of skills, both from within football and as a highly successful lawyer and businessman in his own right," Brayshaw said.
"He has worked most recently in an elite environment at Collingwood and we couldn't be happier that he's seen fit to join our club as the CEO.
"He's exactly what this club needs at the top as we endeavour to make North Melbourne as successful off the field as we are on it," he said.
In 1996 Arocca was appointed lawyer for Collingwood, where he also acted as a board member from 2002 to 2005.
In late 2005 he retired from the Magpies' board to take up the role of chief operating officer and corporate counsel for the club.
When Collingwood CEO Greg Swann departed to Carlton in early 2007, Arocca narrowly lost out to Gary Pert for the vacant position.
Upon his retirement as a senior partner in legal firm Maurice Blackburn Cashman in 2005, he was recognised as one of Victoria's leading lawyers.
A commencement date for Arocca's employment at the Kangaroos has yet to be determined.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said in a statement released by the club that Arocca goes with his blessing and it was with great regret that the Magpies accepted his resignation.
"Eugene has been one of the great servants of the Collingwood Football Club. Over many years he has provided pro bono legal advice, served as a board member and more recently as a senior executive," he said.
Collingwood CEO Gary Pert echoed McGuire's sentiments in the statement.
"Eugene has done a fantastic job of setting up a new revenue stream for the club through the five venues he manages," he said.
"He has been a very important member of the executive team and I would personally like to thank him for the support he has given me. Eugene’s role will be filled internally while we review our next step."
