Troy de Haas Joins Global Executive Search Firm ZRG as Managing Director for Asia-Pacific

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NEW YORK, USA and SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (JUNE 4, 2024) -- ZRG, one of the world’s fastest growing talent firms, and its TurnkeyZRG sports, entertainment & media division, today announced the appointment of Troy de Haas as leader of ZRG’s Sport & Entertainment Practice for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, de Haas has over 10 years of experience working in a variety of roles in the sports world before founding TDH Sport & Entertainment agency in Hong Kong. Troy de Haas has successfully transitioned from on-field talent (athletes & teams) to off-field talent (the business of sport), where he was most recently Partner and Head of the APAC Sport & Entertainment practice at Odgers Berndtson. As one of the region’s most trusted figures, an unparalleled network of industry relationships and deep understanding of complex APAC nuances has led to him supporting some of the most significant organizations, federations, leagues, clubs and teams with the leaders that shape them.

His previous executive positions also included Director of Sports at BMC in Switzerland and Director of Sales & Marketing at Thanyapura Sports Resort in Thailand. As a former elite athlete, Troy represented Australia at the international level over 17 times in Mountain Running and Orienteering, where he made history as the first non-European to medal at a World Championship event.

“Troy de Haas built the region’s most successful sports recruitment practices, essentially from scratch, in a part of the world that did not extensively utilize executive search in sports,” said Len Perna, Chair and CEO of TurnkeyZRG. “Troy joins us at a time when ZRG is the fastest growing search firm globally based on a data-driven, ‘Moneyball’ approach to identifying and evaluating candidates, which is very applicable in sports, which keeps score of everything.”

“Troy has worked with sports entities of the grandest scale, including the Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Swimming Australia, Athletics Australia, Motorsport Australia, and throughout Rugby in Fiji, Hong Kong and Japan,” Perna added. “He will be a huge asset to our firm’s ambitions and bring a wealth of existing regional relationships, track-record, and insights.”

“Troy will also be instrumental in ZRG’s broader international growth in Australia and will be our first Managing Director in Asia,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “We are thrilled to have him join our firm as we set our sights on continued global growth.”

De Haas joins TurnkeyZRG, the leading firm in sports, entertainment, and media in the U.S., from Odgers Berndtson, where he was Partner and Head of Asia-Pacific Sport & Entertainment. This move comes at a time when ZRG, TurnkeyZRG’s parent company, is one of the fastest growing global talent advisory firms in the world.

“Troy de Haas is a top sports executive recruiter here in Australia and APAC,” said Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia and the Australian Open.  “TurnkeyZRG and Troy will have an immediate impact in this market and the partnership reinforces the significant sports and entertainment growth in Australia and APAC.”

Aside from his new role at ZRG, Troy currently serves as a committee member of the Gruppetto Fund, a fund that helps support Australian youth programs and activities, and a Board Member and Director of Marketing & Communications for Orienteering Australia. Troy will split his time between Asia and Australia, where he will continue to be a trailblazer in identifying and sourcing leadership talent to propel his clients to success on the international stage.

"The USA has long established the international standard in the Sports and Entertainment industry, renowned for its professionalism, innovation, and unparalleled commercialization. Thus, partnering with North America's leader, TurnkeyZRG, to introduce its exclusive Zi digital platform and capabilities to this region will be a game changer for APAC, the world's fastest-growing sports market," said Troy de Haas, Managing Director of APAC TurnkeyZRG.