Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) CEO Jim Carmichael will not seek an extension to his current contract and is to step down at the end of this year after seven years in the role. Mr Carmichael, who spent 25 years leading international and Australian-based businesses in a variety of major industries prior to joining QRU, confirmed that this decision had been 12-months in the making. Mr Carmichael said: “In December, the QRU Board adopted our next five-year strategic plan, which will take the organisation through to 2020. “The industry has now also ratified and adopted the Australian Rugby Strategic Plan, which the QRU has been closely involved in with the ARU for a number of years. “Although in sport, the work is never completed, I was satisfied with the transformation and reform we have put in place not only for Rugby in Queensland but also for the influence we have been able to have on the national and international strategy for the code. “Therefore, I came to a decision last