Gus Pichot

Chief Executive Officer, Growth and Energy, Fortescue

Search every verified Gus Pichot interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Agustín Pichot, former World Rugby vice-chairman and candidate for the chairman position in 2020, discussed his campaign and vision for the sport in several appearances that year. In an April 2020 interview, he outlined proposals to modernise rugby, including promoting promotion and relegation, developing eSports, and increasing support for tier two nations, while criticising the lack of change in the sport's governance over the past 40 years. He also reflected on his narrow loss to incumbent Bill Beaumont, attributing the result to stakeholder mistrust of his leadership and management, and expressed a preference for gradual, grassroots-focused growth over what he called "giant stories" or one-shot projects. In a May 2020 podcast, Pichot addressed issues within USA Rugby, describing governance problems and a "mind-numbing mess" that needed fixing, while acknowledging his own limitations due to conflicts of interest. He also commented on the lack of women in top leadership roles at World Rugby, stating he did not see an immediate candidate for chair or vice-chair. In a 2017 closing speech at the World Rugby General Assembly, he emphasised the importance of grassroots volunteers, coaches, and club values as the foundation of the sport, arguing that money and TV rights do not produce rugby's success but rather the people involved in it.