Book med

Francois Pienaar

From Springbok captain to Saracens CEO - inspirational rugby leader and successful businessman.

Francois Pienaar tager kun imod direkte forespørgsler.

Om Francois Pienaar

Francois Pienaar is a former South African rugby player who played for the Springboks in South Africa, followed by a career with Saracens in England. While playing for South Africa, he captained in his first match and in all his 29 appearances, culminating in the famous victory at the 1995 World Cup. He was recognized at the time as an inspirational leader with an unheard of approach to commitment. In 1996 Pienaar joined Saracens Club in England and later became the first player/coach in the game and later CEO of Saracens. He helped transform Saracens from an amateur to a professional rugby club. Under Pienaar's leadership, they won their first ever trophy in 127 years. He received an honorary doctorate on 23 November 2000 from the University of Hertfordshire at the age of 33. Pienaar was chosen as an ambassador for Guinness and Visa, the main sponsors of the 1999 and 2004 Rugby World Cups. He was also part of the ITV Rugby World Cup commentary team and was twice nominated by the Royal Television Society for a Best Sports Commentator award. He has been the only amateur to receive such a nomination. On his return to South Africa, Pienaar was contacted by the First Rand Group, where he became Sponsorship and Strategic Business Development Manager. In 2005, Pienaar was seconded by First National Bank as CEO of the 2011 Rugby World Cup bid. Pienaar became the provincial chairman of First National Bank in the Western Cape until 2009. In March 2009, Pienaar was approached by the Indian Premier League to lead their marketing campaign in South Africa. He left First Rand Bank to follow his passion for sport, media and entertainment and started Advent Sport Entertainment and Media (Pty) Ltd in 2009, with First Rand Bank becoming a shareholder. Francois is involved in numerous charities and was the founder of the Make A Difference (MAD) charity when he returned to South Africa. Nelson Mandela said: "it was under his inspirational leadership that rugby became the pride of the entire country, his leadership extended beyond the rugby field and he truly represents all South Africans. Under his inspirational leadership, a nation was brought together." In 2009, Warner Brothers, under the direction of Clint Eastwood, produced the Oscar-nominated film "Invictus", which focused on the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and how a previously divided nation became world champions, with Francois played by Matt Damon.