Jim Sarantinos: Parramatta Eels. No Easy Try.

In this episode of What I Learned in Business (That Didn’t Kill Me!), James H Stewart sits down with Jim Sarantinos, CEO of the Parramatta Eels, one of the most passionately supported and closely scrutinised rugby league clubs in Australian sport.

Before taking the reins at the Eels, Jim spent two decades at Ferrier Hodgson, helping navigate some of Australia’s most complex restructures — including Rick Damelian Group, Dick Smith Electronics, Topshop Australia, and Steinhoff Australia during its global financial challenges.

But perhaps his most defining challenge came in 2016, when the Eels faced one of the biggest governance crises in NRL history — board sackings, salary cap breaches, and a club community in turmoil. Working alongside Ferrier Hodgson legend Max Donnelly, Jim helped rebuild trust, governance and transparency — lessons that continue to shape the club today.

His story is also deeply personal. In his early thirties, Jim was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Surviving that experience reshaped his outlook on life, leadership and what truly matters — lessons that echo across every part of this conversation.

From crisis management to culture, and from chemotherapy to comeback, this is a conversation about resilience, accountability and the power of second chances — in business and in life.

Highlights

• What corporate turnarounds can teach sporting organisations about leadership and accountability

• Inside the Eels’ 2016 governance crisis and the rebuild of its foundations

• How surviving cancer changed Jim’s leadership perspective

• The continuing challenge of turning potential into performance at a professional sporting club.