Meet 16 Leaders Shaping Rugby Union in Queensland

Last updated: 8 August 2026.

Queensland has been a foundation state for Australian rugby union, from the Ballymore training base to the Queensland Reds and a wide network of clubs, schools and country unions. The people leading that work sit in boardrooms, coaching boxes, high performance offices and community programs. Some carry a national brief. Others build the game from the ground up in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and country Queensland.

Why Queensland rugby union leadership matters

Rugby union in Queensland runs on a mix of professional ambition and volunteer effort. A Super Rugby program, a state governing body, a country union and a university sport department all depend on people who can hold a long view while making practical decisions week to week. The leaders below show different ways to do that, from national coaching appointments through to the volunteers who keep country competitions running.

1. Les Kiss

Wallabies Head Coach, Rugby Australia

Les Kiss is Wallabies Head Coach at Rugby Australia. Born in Bundaberg, he built his senior coaching reputation over two seasons in charge of the Queensland Reds before Rugby Australia handed him the national job in 2026.

His first Test in charge came against Japan in Osaka on Saturday 8 August 2026, a match he used to hand a clutch of new caps their Wallabies debuts. For Queensland rugby, that pathway from Ballymore to the national set-up is a sign of the depth building in the state's coaching pipeline.

2. David Hanham

Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Rugby Union

David Hanham is Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Rugby Union. He joined the union in 2002 in a game development role and spent sixteen years working through the organisation, from development manager to general manager, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive, before the board confirmed him as CEO in December 2018.

That internal path gives him a close working knowledge of community rugby as well as the professional program, from grassroots clubs and schools through to the Reds.

3. Brett Clark

Board Chair, Queensland Rugby Union

Brett Clark is Board Chair of Queensland Rugby Union, leading a board responsible for a union with more than 250,000 participants across over 200 clubs and 450 schools in the state.

Outside rugby he is a co-founder of ePharmacy and managing partner of Chemist Warehouse's Queensland and Northern New South Wales retail group. He also brings governance experience from a decade on the board of Queensland Ballet, six of them as chair, plus a recent appointment to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics Organising Committee.

4. Sean Hardman

President, Queensland Rugby Union

Sean Hardman is President of Queensland Rugby Union, elected to the role in March 2026 after Roger Gould stepped down following six years in the position.

He played 148 games for the Reds between 1999 and 2010, earned four Wallabies caps including a place in the 2007 World Cup squad, and became the first Queenslander to reach 100 Super Rugby caps.

5. Jennifer Gillett

Vice President, Queensland Rugby Union

Jennifer Gillett is Vice President of Queensland Rugby Union, one of two people holding that position on the union's board since 2025.

She became the first woman at her club, Brothers, and the second in the state, to reach a century of women's club rugby appearances, returning to playing at 42 to do it. Professionally she is State General Manager of Project and Development Services at JLL Queensland.

6. Kim Bending

Vice President, Queensland Rugby Union

Kim Bending is Vice President of Queensland Rugby Union, re-elected to the board role in 2026 after more than 40 years involved in the game.

He previously served as President of Gold Coast District Rugby Union, giving him first-hand experience of running rugby at community level before taking on a statewide governance role alongside fellow Vice President Jennifer Gillett.

7. Selwyn Button

Board Director, Queensland Rugby Union

Selwyn Button is a Board Director of Queensland Rugby Union and chairs its Community Rugby Committee. He is a Commissioner of the Australian Government Productivity Commission and previously worked as a partner at PwC Indigenous Consulting, Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and Assistant Director-General for Indigenous Education in the Queensland Department of Education.

A proud Indigenous man, he has described the union's Indigenous programs as built on relationships, trust and respect developed since 2010, work that continues under the strategy he helps guide at board level.

8. Sam Cordingley

General Manager, High Performance, Queensland Rugby Union

Sam Cordingley is General Manager, High Performance at Queensland Rugby Union, overseeing the systems behind the Reds' on-field programs.

A former Reds and Wallabies scrumhalf, he moved into administration after retiring and was general manager when the Reds won the 2021 Super Rugby AU premiership, giving him both a playing and a management view of what it takes to build a winning program.

9. Vern Cotter

Incoming Head Coach, 2027 to 2028 seasons, Queensland Reds

Vern Cotter has been named Head Coach of the Queensland Reds for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, arriving once his current contract with the Blues in New Zealand ends.

His record stands up anywhere: the best win rate of any Scotland head coach in the professional era, a Super Rugby Pacific title with the Blues in 2024 and the French Top 14 title with Clermont-Auvergne in 2009 to 2010. Queensland is recruiting a coach who has already won in three different rugby cultures.

10. Fraser McReight

Captain, Queensland Reds

Fraser McReight captains the Queensland Reds and started for the Wallabies against Japan in his first Test back under new coach Les Kiss.

He has been named Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year twice and won the Reds' own Pilecki Medal as the club's best player in 2024. He re-signed with Queensland Rugby Union through 2028, tying his captaincy and his future to the same program he leads on the field.

11. Andrew Fraser

Head Coach, Super Rugby Women's, Queensland Reds

Andrew Fraser is Head Coach of the Queensland Reds Super Rugby Women's team, a role that sits alongside his ongoing position as Head of Rugby at the University of Queensland Rugby Club, where he oversees twelve teams.

He led the Reds women to the 2025 Super Rugby Women's grand final, building on a coaching debut in 2024 when he guided the side to a win in Tonga ahead of his formal appointment being confirmed.

12. Shannon Parry

Head Coach, Reds Sevens and Assistant Coach, Super Rugby Women's

Shannon Parry is Head Coach of the Queensland Reds sevens program and Assistant Coach of the Super Rugby Women's side, working alongside Andrew Fraser on breakdown and contact.

A former Wallaroos captain, she won sevens gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics before moving into coaching, and continues to guide emerging sevens talent through pathways such as the Next Gen 7s series.

13. Nico Andrade

Women's High Performance Manager, Queensland Rugby Union

Nico Andrade is Women's High Performance Manager at Queensland Rugby Union, appointed to the newly created, Rio Tinto funded role in April 2024.

He previously spent close to three years as General Manager, Rugby at the Fijian Drua and worked at Queensland Rugby Union earlier in his career as Head of Rugby Services between 2015 and 2019. He now works alongside Head Coach Andrew Fraser to build power and depth into the Reds women's forward pack.

14. Dylan Blackman

Indigenous Strategies Manager, Queensland Rugby Union

Dylan Blackman is Indigenous Strategies Manager at Queensland Rugby Union, working to make the game welcoming to Indigenous coaches, officials, volunteers and families as well as players.

He came through the same Indigenous rugby programs he now helps lead, having taken part as a teenager in programs run by Matthew Sonter, with whom he now partners on current initiatives.

15. Rod Hohn

President, Queensland Country Rugby Union

Rod Hohn is President of Queensland Country Rugby Union, leading the volunteer board that oversees rugby across regional and country Queensland.

He works from his home club, Toowoomba Rangers, giving the state body a president with direct, current experience of what it takes to keep a country competition running week to week.

16. Michael Collins

Director of Sport, Bond University

Michael Collins is Director of Sport at Bond University on the Gold Coast, having moved from New Zealand after a long playing and administration career in the game.

He played 73 NPC games for Waikato and captained the side, then played 82 Super Rugby games for the Chiefs, captaining the club in 1999. He later ran Taranaki Rugby as chief executive from 2013, winning a Ranfurly Shield and NPC title in 2014, before becoming Chiefs chief executive from 2017.

In September 2026 he moves on again, taking up the Chief Rugby Officer role at New Zealand Rugby, a reminder that Queensland's rugby administration bench regularly trades experience with the game across the Tasman.

What these leaders show us

Taken together, these leaders show that Queensland rugby is much bigger than one Super Rugby squad. It includes governance, professional coaching, high performance planning, Indigenous programs, country rugby and university sport.

Several also show how much the game moves people around. Coaches and administrators arrive from New Zealand, France and Scotland, and Queenslanders such as Les Kiss and Sean Hardman rise from playing careers into the top jobs. That mix of local depth and imported experience is part of what makes the state's rugby leadership worth watching in 2026.

How to use this list

Use this list as a starting point, not as a final judgement. Follow the organisations these leaders work for, notice how differently a professional coaching job and a volunteer country presidency are run, and think about what that range says about your own team.

If you are building a team, the useful question is not who to copy. It is what kind of clarity, patience and shared purpose your own people need next.

Frequently asked questions

Who leads Queensland's state rugby union body?

David Hanham is Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Rugby Union. Brett Clark chairs the board and Sean Hardman is President.

Who coaches the Queensland Reds in 2026?

Les Kiss led the Reds as Head Coach through the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season before moving into the Wallabies Head Coach role. Vern Cotter has been named as the incoming Reds Head Coach for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

Where can I follow Queensland's women's rugby leadership?

Andrew Fraser is Head Coach of the Queensland Reds Super Rugby Women's team, working alongside assistant coach and former Wallaroos captain Shannon Parry and Women's High Performance Manager Nico Andrade.

Conclusion

Rugby union leadership in Queensland is where a professional program, a state governing body and a community game meet. These 16 people show the range of work taking place across the state, from national coaching appointments and boardroom governance to country rugby and university sport.

Follow their work, learn from the systems they are building, and keep asking how your own organisation can make trust and shared purpose easier to experience.

Next read

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Need help turning leadership ideas into practice?

Jonno White helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. He facilitates practical leadership keynotes, Working Genius workshops and team conversations that help people understand how they work together. If your leadership team is working through culture, communication or accountability questions, email jonno@consultclarity.org to ask about a written proposal.

About the author

Jonno White is an Australian leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world. To enquire about a written proposal, email jonno@consultclarity.org.