INTERVIEW: Get to Know the T&RA’s New CEO, Nick Orr
Brigadier Nick Orr opens up about his vision for the future of Real Tennis and Rackets and what to expect under his leadership of the Association.
Stepping into the role of Chief Executive of the Tennis and the Rackets Association is no easy task. The scope of responsibility is enormous, including implementing the board's strategy, managing operations, and overseeing the development of both sports, not to mention serving as the custodian of the games' laws and traditions, coordinating training for professionals, organising national competitions, and helping to maintain Real Tennis and Rackets courts across the country, among a list of many other things. Throw into the mix the fact that the current CEO has been in the position for a whopping 16 years, and it’s a wonder anyone applied for the job!
Fortunately many did apply and the board managed to narrow the field down to one candidate, who seems perfect for the role: Brigadier Nick Orr, who is currently in the process of taking the reins from longstanding CEO Chris Davies, who will be retiring in early summer. The transition officially started at the end of February and Orr is quickly finding his footing while also balancing a desire to take his time learning the organisation before he really sinks his teeth into decision-making.
Into the Swing of Things
Like any CEO position, becoming the head of the T&RA comes with a steep learning curve, and Orr is in the process of soaking up all he can.
“As I said when I was interviewed for the role, I don't want to come in like a bull in a china shop thinking I can change the world. The most important thing for me to start with is to understand the organisation and understand the role, and it is quite complex in many ways because of the breadth of responsibility that lies within the position,” he says. “It's quite intimidating taking over from someone who has been in the role for 16 years because his knowledge and experience are almost limitless, and my start point is very low. But he's doing what he can to download his knowledge and experience and set me up for success, which is great.”
As for what he hopes to tackle in his first six months, Orr says his most important task is understanding what the future of the T&RA looks like and working out what he needs to achieve in order to support that vision.
“The future of both the games is looking really positive at the moment, but we mustn't be complacent about that. So I think working with the board members who have got responsibility for the strategies, for the T&RA generally, but particularly for the sports of Real Tennis and Rackets, is really important,” he says.
“The three factors of Place, People and Professionals, and ensuring that we understand the dynamics of those three and how we can best influence them for the future, is going to be extremely important,” he continues. “We want the games to thrive, we want them to expand, and I think there are definitely opportunities out there that we can do so. But [we need] a strategy that reinforces how we're going to deliver against that.”
… Play!
One thing that has been incredibly helpful is that Orr isn’t a newbie when it comes to the games. He played a small amount of Rackets while attending Charterhouse and is a keen Real Tennis player, having been enticed into the game 20 years ago by Hyde Chairman Philip Thicknesse.
“Philip got ahold of me and embraced me like an old friend. And within a year, he got me onto the committee, running it, which was invaluable in terms of gaining some experience and understanding some of the administration behind the game — albeit at a local level — and it just increased my interest and love of the game,” he says.
But Rackets players don’t have to worry about Orr being all about Real Tennis. He has already convinced Queen’s Club Head Rackets Professional Ben Bomford to take him on court for some one-on-one lessons.
“I'm really looking forward to getting out there, and I am playing in the Armed Forces Championships,” Orr says. “So we'll see how that goes!”
From the Service Side
While on-court experience and a love for the games is invaluable, it was Orr’s experience in the Army that no doubt convinced T&RA’s board that he was the right man for the job. The English native first joined the Army in 1984 with the intention of staying three years, but ended up staying for 36.
“I had a great experience, and I'd do it all again. I left as a brigadier, which was lovely, and I commanded my regiment,” he says, adding that the mix of appointments that he had in the military will hopefully set him up for success in this job.
“The great thing about the military is that you move into a different type of job each couple of years as you get a new posting. So I did HR jobs, I did operational jobs, I did communications jobs, I did command appointments,” he shares. “It's all about people, and I think sports is all about people, as well. So I have a range of experiences that I can bring to the games that I hope will be a benefit. I'm not saying I know everything by any stretch of the imagination, and I've got a huge amount to learn. But equally, I think some of the experience I've got, particularly looking at strategies and implementing plans, will be relevant to this post.”
Rest and Reset
As the T&RA reported when we first shared the news of Orr joining the Association, he is very much looking forward to getting out and about in his first few months, visiting Clubs and Schools, meeting members and being a visible leader across the country.
“The people who I've met involved in both games are just delightful,” he shares. “It's a lovely group of people, and that in itself is a great credit to the games and should, I think, make sure that they endure and expand in the future. Nice people attract more people.”
Orr hopes that the continuation of his club tour in the months ahead will give him a better understanding of the big picture, but also of individual club dynamics.
“One thing I'm learning very quickly is that these great games are supported by this mix of clubs across the country, which is fantastic, and there is no one size fits all; they are unique all in their own particular ways,” he explains. “Understanding the dynamics of each particular club and the different types of clubs that are out there is really important, because that will inform the strategy I just talked about. And the hope is that it won't favor particular clubs at the expense of others -- it's got to be a strategy that all the clubs can see where they fit into it and how they can benefit from it, and how they can hopefully expand and benefit from that in the future themselves.”
He also says that keeping the lines of communication open between clubs, boards, professionals and the T&RA will be very important to him.
“One of the things I'm really keen to do though is to make sure that the communication amongst us all is open and transparent, because I don't want people harboring views that they don't feel they can share,” he says. “I think most people want the same thing, which is for the games to thrive. That's a common purpose.”
Game, Set, Match
Though he’s not coming in guns blazing and he says he would like to give the transition from Davies to himself a proper amount of time, Orr acknowledges that at some point, a definite change will be felt.
“I think the role is such that it's sort of fingers in pies everywhere, and therefore the influence of the Chief Executive is felt across the board on practically everything,” he says, adding that he has a list of accomplishments he’ll be focusing on during his time with the T&RA and will consider himself a success in the role if he’s able to achieve them.
“Once we've written the strategy, having plans to then deliver against that strategy,” he begins, adding, “If we can expand the membership of the T&RA during my time, I'd be really pleased with that. If we can expand the number of courts we've got in the country, that would be a super achievement. And if we can have a better mechanism for looking after our professionals, both at getting professionals into the game and giving them a career structure that is more understandable for them and a benefit to them as people and professionals, I think would be of huge benefit.”
