Sports Recruitment & Consulting
Off-Court Leaders. On-Court Results.
Perth sport is one of the most competitive environments in Australia. Every club is chasing wins, members, sponsors and community impact. The real edge is often off the court – in the office, the boardroom and the teams that make winning possible.
At Marvin HR, we specialise in recruiting exceptional leaders for sports organisations: CEOs, general managers, commercial directors, and executives who build championship teams.
If you’re seeking senior leadership staff, C-suite or non-executive directors for your sporting organisation, reach out to us on +61 8 6377 7607
CASE STUDY
Nic Barbato – Commercial Executive to CEO
Provided Search, Executive Recruitment and Consulting services to the Adelaide 36ers concluding with the placement of Nic Barbato as chief executive of the club.
Candidate has proven to be one of the best leaders in the NBL landscape with historic consecutive sell-outs and fiscal success.
Executive Team
Nick Marvin – Director & Founder
Sports executive and consultant with proven track record of transformation with purpose, people and performance.
+61 8 6377 7606
nick@marvinhr.com
Saarrah Mathinthiran – Co-Founder & Management Consultant
Leads executive search practice with dual expertise in financial analysis and HR capability.
Masters in Finance (ISC Paris) and Masters in Human Resources and Employment Relations (UWA).
+61 8 6377 7607
saarrah@marvinHR.com
Bob Hunter – Leadership Coach & Workshop Facilitator
16-year veteran of the Australian Army’s Special Air Service Regiment (SAS). Co-founder of global risk advisory firm Osprey International. As CEO of Rugby WA (2017–2020), steered the organisation from voluntary administration after the Western Force was axed from Super Rugby to sustained financial surplus, rebuilt pathways, and strengthened community engagement.
+61 8 6377 7608
bob@marvinhr.com
Character-focused recruitment in action…
Character is where values meet behaviours.
Where proven action and habits align with a set of clear principles.
It’s the actualisation of values through consistent external performance over time.
Recruitment must therefore follow a system of understanding an individual’s claimed values and matching their observable track record to test for a correlation. Any available evidence be it real or digital and comprehensive checks from past relationships that can attest to this is critical.
This is our seven step process that has delivered proven results over twenty years.
1. Identify Individual Character-sets – 3H & 5G
2. Correlate values-match between team and individual
3. Stress-test claimed values against actual behaviours
4. Evidence gathering on past performance including referees.
5. Understand Modalities, Strengths, Weaknesses and Emotionalities
6. Clarify Engagement Profile – Reward, Recognition, Voice, Choice, Learning & Legacy
7. Establish Onboarding matrix and pathway
All of this takes time and can only begin after a comprehensive search of potential talent is conducted – which itself requires considerable research and interactions.
CHARACTER SETS
What character sets do we look for?
Once again, our ground-breaking research over the last several years has resulted in three non-negotiable traits -what we call the H3 Index, and five aspirational traits – what we call Goodness Values.
H3-INDEX
Honesty, Humility and Hard-work. The three non-negotiables for any role, particularly on teams and in leadership positions. Candidates who fail the H3 threshold do not progress.
GOODNESS VALUES
Knowing where a candidate sits on five key goodness values (Fairness, Empathy, Kindness, Patience and Generosity) helps understand how they will fit in the organisation or team’s culture.
We have relied on this system in sports, in the locker room, in the boardroom and the staff room.
Let us assist you with your next recruitment.