who surrounds Shaun Hegarty at the head of Biarritz Olympique?

Last Friday, April 5, Shaun Hegarty found himself in front of the cameras, in a lounge at the Aguilera stadium, to formalize his takeover of Biarritz Olympique. He takes over from the departing Jean-Baptiste Aldigé.

Brought into the confidence of this project, which miraculously remained secret until its announcement, several childhood friends and acquaintances of Hegarty, through his life as a business manager, have been present from the start. They are now part of the club’s supervisory board. The latter will decide on the general policy pursued by the BO. This infographic allows you to present the members.

Van der Merwe and the lawyers

On the board side, it’s more delicate. Initially, Flip Van der Merwe, former South African international and member of the Archiball Côte Basque peña (an association of former rugby players of all levels who have become entrepreneurs) like Shaun Hegarty, was its president. He remained there until the structure was set up and the Limoges lawyer, Arnaud Dubois, an acquaintance of Shaun Hegarty and present alongside Romain Détré during the aborted takeover of BO last summer, was in order with regard to his position.

The latter is a lawyer for many rugby players and former financial director of the Béziers club (2013-2017). He was omitted from the Limougeaud bar (he remains a lawyer but can no longer exercise the function as long as he is omitted) in order to be able to occupy the position of president of the board of directors. For his part, Flip Van der Merwe wanted to keep his role at the head of his companies, one for data consulting and the other for hydrogen bikes. Once the administrative aspect was settled, Arnaud Dubois took over as head of the board.

Finally, another lawyer is part of the picture: Christophe Cariou-Martin. He is Hegarty’s counsel in the case of the assassination of his friend Federico Martin Aramburu by two far-right activists, in Paris, in March 2022. Cariou-Martin was to be a member of the board. However, he did not have the approval of the Bayonne bar to occupy this position in the BO company while remaining a lawyer. It remains that of Shaun and the club.

1 The supervisory board

President : Shaun Hegarty (40 years old). Born in Biarritz, BO player from 2003 to 2006. Business manager. “I am a young man from Aguilera, I grew up in Biarritz, this club is in me. Today, it was in difficulty and with the group of people with whom I work on the project, we could not let it sink without acting. Afterwards, we will just run after an oval ball, we will do our best to protect this club and make it relive good times. If we did not have the passion, we would not have embarked on this adventure. We hope that Aguilera becomes a party, and not a place where people get angry.”

The vice president : Marc Baget (39 years old). Childhood friend of Hegarty since the sport studied rugby in Biarritz. Insurer. “When Shaun told me about his takeover idea at the beginning of March, I laughed at first, then I saw the emotion in his eyes and he told me it was serious. Two days later I gave him my confidence and my energy. We have much more to lose than to gain, but we intend to put all that into perspective through work with the certainty of our experiences and our strong commitment. Personally, my role will be to align the strategy between the professional sector, the training center and the association. »

The members :

Arnaud Labedan (39 years old). Childhood friend of Hegarty. Hotel owner in Biarritz. “I still remember when Shaun joined the BO at 19, since then I followed his whole career. When he asked me to participate in the project, I found it very rewarding and I am ready to provide my advice and experience. I trust in his ability to unite because he has that in him. I warned him that he would be exposed but the freshness of the project makes it all very exciting for all of us.”

Arnaud Séhébiade (50 years). Close to the BO, former secretary general of the association. Director of operations for the hotels in the Fontenille area (including Hortensias du Lac, in Hossegor). “I am from the Hautes-Pyrénées, like Marc Baget but above all a lover of the club, my son also plays there as a hopeful. I hope to support this new momentum with my skills but above all with serenity and kindness. There will be no witch hunt, it is rather a time of sacred union. »

Laurent Etchebarne (51 years old). Former BO physiotherapist, knew Hegarty when he was a player there. Osteopath expert in neuromotor reprogramming. “When Shaun asked me, I told him “ok but you cut off social networks”, when we see the incredible madness that is spreading there… This club needs trust and harmony, and that is what Shaun can bring who does this neither for ego nor for glory but to put the club back at the center. For my part, I will participate in the reorganization of the medical field. »

Cyril Arrosteguy (36 years). Son of the former president of the BO, Patrick Arrosteguy (1992-1996), acquaintance of Hegarty and good friend of Van der Merwe. Founder of the Kokoon micro-crèche network. “Through the role my father had, I found myself alongside players from the great years when I was 15, it had an impact on me. On this project, I was immediately motivated by the collective adventure side with different profiles and everyone bringing their contribution. Mine would be that of the young business leader to bring new blood into the vision, that the new dynamic driven fits with the times. »

2 The board of directors

President : Arnaud Dubois (41 years). Acquaintance with Hegarty, played together for France Classique (veterans team) between 2016 and 2017. Lawyer no longer able to exercise this function during his presence at the head of the club’s board of directors. “Shaun helped us with the rework project last summer and then he called me when he was setting up his own. Flip managed the first months of management of the board while maintaining his entrepreneurial activity. Now that my situation is regularized, I have taken over a position that I already know with the aim of bringing together and streamlining relationships internally and externally after a recent past with rather divisive methods so that everyone watches. in the same direction. I will be there to implement the policy desired by the supervisory board and achieve our objectives. »

3 The club’s lawyer

Christophe Cariou-Martin (48 years old). Lawyer for Shaun Hegarty and the BO. Friend of Hegarty whom he met about ten years ago within the peña Archiball Côte basque. “From the beginning, I have been there to protect Shaun. If embarking on this adventure had not been a good idea or if I had not been sure of the solidity of his mental approach to the project, I would have told him. This is not the case. I will be there to bring my professionalism to all the files. The team at the head of the club is founded on the desire to serve the club and not to use the club.”