Bruce, I don't know this individual but I 100% endorse the thrust of you point.
For the QRU's revival, Rod McCall - a self-made businessman of some success on top of his rugby credentials - drove with absolute steel the whole, overall change process, and brought in Carmichael as CEO who's a highly ambitious leader (in a good sense) with a strong professional football sports background.
I keep on saying it as it has to be said: the core governance problem with these Australian state RU (and Tahs related) boards is that essentially they answer, and are accountable, in a serious and proper sense, to no one, and that is how they self-perpetuate and accrete introversion and self-regard. There are no shareholders per se assessing performance against measurable goals and that can sell their shares in protest at serious underperformance. The ARU - the master code franchisor - does not appoint or oversight these local boards and only interferes with them in odd, relatively sideline ways - like the salary cap - but will not intrude upon them or force management or board upgrades in a performance-assuring manner unless and until they send themselves to the wall, al la 2009 QRU. Then the ARU acts as lender of last resort to bail out a train wreck that any astute person could see coming years in advance of the final event.
The whole edifice is deeply flawed, and that's why it's only serious and near-terminal crisis within an RU that ever changes much.