Shane Richardson tells West Tigers staff he's finished as CEO of NRL club

Shane Richardson has resigned as Wests Tigers CEO one week after the embattled club’s owners dismissed all four independents from their board.

AAP understands Richardson informed Tigers staff of his decision to walk away from the role on Monday, leaving the club without a CEO or chairman.

Richardson had spent the past seven days mulling over his future in the role, after the club’s majority owners the Holman Barnes Group sparked chaos last Monday.

Richardson had arrived at the Tigers in late 2023 as the club’s potential white knight, after more than a decade of on-field failure and off-field dramas.

The club had appeared to turn a corner in the past year, climbing off the bottom of the ladder while also turning a profit off the field.

But the veteran administrator had been vocal in his desire for an independent board, while having also worked closely with ousted chairman Barry O’Farrell.

Richardson’s exit will leave questions over the future of both Jarome Luai and Jahream Bula, who have options to leave the club at the end of 2026.

Just a fortnight ago Richardson had told AAP he expected the duo to stay, with Bula tipped to sign a new long-term deal with the club.

Former Manly boss Tony Mestrov has been linked to the role of CEO, but there are questions over whether he will end up in the job.

AAP has learned the Tigers’ recently promoted general manager of football Shaun Mielekamp could also be an option to take on the role on an interim or full-time basis.

Mielekamp was CEO of Central Coast Mariners between 2015 and 2024, lifting them from the bottom of the ladder and financial difficulties to back-to-back champions.

He had previously spent time as merchandise and marketing manager at Penrith and South Sydney, and arrived at the Tigers at the start of last year as head of community.

The most recent drama comes after the Holman Barnes Group in January appointed four independent directors to the seven-person board, on the advice on an external report.

But those four directors were dismissed last week, claiming as owners they had been kept in the dark on key commercial decisions.

That move prompted resounding public opposition, and calls for the NRL to intervene.

ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has vowed to look into the matter, but it remains unclear if they will be in a position to intervene.

At the same time, it has emerged that a complaint has been made to the NRL about Richardson and financial dealings while at the Tigers.

The alleged issue relates to the use of a digital marketing company Richardson has a part ownership in with his son.

Sources close to Richardson maintain that the veteran administrator had been transparent in all dealings, and appointments for work had been approved by the club’s board after a tender process.

The Tigers’ board is set to meet next Monday for the first time since the removal of the independent chairs, where it is expected the new board structure will be discussed.