HE IS no longer the federal Treasurer and now Peter Costello is also no longer Essendon's number-one ticket holder.
The Bombers announced on Thursday that Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford would take over the position at the AFL club.
Essendon said Costello had recently informed them he did not want to continue in the role.
Clifford, a lifelong Bombers fan, said he was thrilled to take over.
"I'm delighted to accept the number-one ticket holder role and to follow such a committed Bomber as Peter Costello," he said.
"I've been really impressed by what the club is doing off the field and I hope I can contribute to those activities."
Clifford recently retired as Rio Tinto CEO after 37 years with the company and the revamped position at the club will see the number-one ticket holder - among other things - host a community fundraising dinner and a business networking lunch during the upcoming season.
“There are many Essendon supporters that can bring so much energy to a role such as this. We feel as a board this is an ideal way for the club to engage with them for a period without them feeling burdened by the on-going requirements of the role,” Essendon Chairman Ray Horsburgh said.
Horsburgh said the club was honoured to have a person of such vast business experience take up the position.
“He [Leigh] is a highly–respected businessman and we know he can add greatly to this club in this role, particularly in terms of the support he can provide the club’s community programs and development of our business networks,” Horsburgh said.
Horsburgh also thanked Mr Costello for his extended service as the club’s number-one ticket holder.
“Peter has been an exceptional ambassador for this football club and we fully understand he has other things he wants to pursue in his life,” Horsburgh said.
“He will always remain an important part of this club and we look forward to seeing him at the football this season and beyond.”
LEIGH CLIFFORD, AO
Leigh Clifford was appointed to the Qantas Board on 9 August 2007 and became Chairman on 14 November 2007. Leigh stepped down from the board of Rio Tinto and retired as chief executive on 30 April 2007 after 37 years with Rio Tinto.
He was born in South Australia in 1947. A qualified mining engineer, he graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Engineering with first class honours and gained a masters degree in Engineering Science from the same university. Mr Clifford joined the Rio Tinto Group at Broken Hill, New South Wales in 1970.
He occupied a wide variety of operational and marketing roles in the coal and metalliferous operations of the group within Australia.
In 1994 Leigh was seconded to Rio Tinto in London as mining director. During this time, he was actively involved in the group's businesses in the US, Africa, Indonesia and South America. He subsequently returned to Melbourne in 1996 as managing director of Rio Tinto Limited.
In 1999, he returned to the UK as chief executive of Rio Tinto's global Energy product group. He became a director of Rio Tinto in 1994 and was appointed chief executive in April 2000.
He is currently a non-executive director of Barclays Bank plc in the UK and was appointed to the Bechtel Board of Counselors in the UK in May 2007.
Leigh was honoured as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) on Australia Day 2008 for his service to business through executive roles in the mining industry, to the promotion of international trade and the development of export markets, and to the arts.
Leigh is married with two daughters and lives in Melbourne.
