Rob Andrew role disappears

Posted on Jan 6, 2011 in Rugby News

Over and above its statement on the overall impact of the organisational changes announced today, the Rugby Football Union wanted, given the widespread media speculation over the past week, to clarify the situation regarding the new Rugby Department and Rob Andrew’s role.

When John Steele arrived at the RFU as CEO he made it clear that he would put rugby at the heart of the business and the creation of a new, single, rugby department delivers on that commitment. This is a significant shift and each of the three new directors will play a major role in ensuring the future growth and development of the game in England from the grassroots to the top of the professional game.

John Steele, CEO of the RFU, commented, “Today’s announcement is all about looking forward not back and ensuring that we have the best people in place to serve and lead rugby in England as we prepare for a home world cup in 2015. In view of this we are placing huge emphasis on developing the leadership and vision for the new rugby department. The three senior appointments in the rugby area are hugely important to the future of the game. We have invited Rob to apply for the Rugby Operations Director role which is a game wide role responsible for creating the rugby infrastructure required to make rugby work across England.”

However it is important to note that the development of this new structure will take six to nine months to put in place and in the interim those applying for roles will stay in their current position while the recruitment process happens and the transitions take place. This means that Rob Andrew will continue with his current responsibilities until the process is complete.

Rob Andrew added, ‘I am very excited about the future of the game in England, and the re-structuring that will place rugby at the heart of everything the RFU does. Change is never easy but there are some exciting opportunities and challenges ahead. I will be considering the role of Rugby Operations Director in the coming weeks and in the meantime will continue with my responsibilities as Elite Rugby Director.’

The recruitment process will start next week.

RFU Board unanimously backs CEO recommendations for change

Posted on Jan 5, 2011 in Rugby News

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) Board of Directors met today to review the recommendations of John Steele, its new Chief Executive, for changes to the organisation in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in 2015. The recommendations, made after a comprehensive and exhaustive review of the business, were unanimously approved.

Martyn Thomas, Chairman of the Board, commented, “John has absolutely vindicated our decision to appoint him as CEO. The new approach shows a real appreciation of how rugby works and will ensure that as a Union we are focussed on rugby issues as we build towards 2015. John has our total support.”

John Steele, CEO of the RFU, added, “I am delighted that the board unanimously accepted my recommendations for change. We have a hugely exciting five years ahead of us and I want to make sure we are in the best possible shape to the seize the opportunity a home World Cup gives us to grow and develop the game from the grassroots to the elite level.

“The changes we agreed will deliver a simpler management structure with clearer leadership and are changes that are right for rugby and right for the RFU. We will announce these in more detail tomorrow but until then our first priority is to talk staff through the recommendations and the next steps.”

The RFU will make further statements on Thursday 6^th January about the outcome of the review.

RFU announce new CEO of England Rugby 2015

Posted on Dec 14, 2010 in Rugby News

After a rigorous recruitment process, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has appointed the first member of its executive leadership team for England Rugby 2015, the tournament organising company that will deliver the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in 2015 in England.

Paul Vaughan will become the new CEO of England Rugby 2015, effective 4 January 2011.

Vaughan moves across from the RFU where he has been Business Operations Director for 10 years, during which time he grew the commercial revenues from £43m to £119m and played a major role in creating the commercial partnerships with Compass Group, Marriott Hotels and Virgin Health that underpin the new South Stand development. He also had board responsibility for the ticketing strategy that has seen Twickenham Stadium regularly sold out and prior to the RFU he held executive roles at Whitbread plc and Octagon.

The role of CEO of England Rugby 2015 required a very specific range of skills given the need to deliver an outstanding tournament and maximise ticket income and it was that unique experience of commercial success in a the rugby market that let to Vaughan being chosen over and above the other candidates.

Vaughan will take up the role from January 2011 but will continue to fulfil his current role at the RFU to ensure an appropriate period of transition through to the middle of the year. The RFU is looking at how they will replace him and will announce its intentions for that early in 2011.

Martyn Thomas, Chairman of England Rugby 2015 and Chairman of the RFU Board, commented: “We cast the net wide and saw some impressive and highly experienced candidates but in the end we all agreed that Paul had a unique combination of experience in the rugby market, commercial expertise and leadership skills. Making the Rugby World Cup a success will require a positive and collaborative relationship with the IRB and with the RFU and it goes without saying Paul has those relationships already in place and has been closely involved in our planning so far so we are already well on our way to delivering an outstanding World Cup. We are very excited by the appointment and I believe Paul will be pivotal in the delivery of an outstanding Rugby World Cup.”

With a little under five years to go until England hosts RWC 2015, the foundations for delivery of rugby’s showcase event are already under way with the RFU and Rugby World Cup Limited collaborating to develop the detailed strategic and master plans that will guide the delivery of RWC 2015 in England.

The Strategic Plan will ensure all legacies are realised and where possible exceeded, both in the UK and throughout Europe. It will also provide the focus for planning moving forward, while the master plan will deliver the framework for the delivery of the specific strategic goals.

Bernard Lapasset, Chairman of RWCL, commented: “Rugby World Cup Limited welcomes this key appointment which represents an important first step in the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2015. The successful delivery of the world’s third largest sporting event is founded on partnership, teamwork, vision and strong leadership. Paul certainly possesses all the necessary attributes as he is vastly experienced, has an excellent knowledge of the global Game, has a strong working relationship with the IRB and knows how to build successful marketing and ticketing strategies. We are looking forward to working in partnership with Paul and his England Rugby 2015 team to deliver an outstanding Rugby World Cup in 2015.”

Paul Vaughan added: “It is a tremendous honour to be offered the opportunity to manage the delivery of RWC 2015 in England and one I accept with great relish. The RFU are the custodians of the tournament before handing it on to Japan in 2019 and I want to deliver a fantastic event for the game and a long term positive legacy for the RFU.”

England Rugby 2015 is the wholly owned subsidiary of the RFU tasked with delivering RWC 2015 which will begin in September 2015 and lasts 7 weeks, with 48 of games played in over 10 iconic stadia including Twickenham and Wembley.

Clark appointed GM of Highlands Super Rugby franchise

Posted on Oct 11, 2010 in Rugby News

Rugby Southland CEO Roger Clark has been appointed General Manager of the Highlanders’ Super Rugby franchise.

Clark has for the last four months been the Highlanders’ Project Manager on a secondment funded by the New Zealand Rugby Union, and has played an important role in both the on and off field re-structuring of the Highlanders’ franchise to date.

Clark’s employment is the first of a number of direct appointments intended to be made by the Highlanders before the start of the 2011 Investec Super Rugby season. In announcing the appointment, Highlanders’ Chairman Ross Laidlaw said:

"Roger was the standout applicant for this new position. He has 12 years’ experience as a rugby administrator and is highly respected as such both within the franchise region and beyond. One of Roger’s many tasks will be to build and lead an off field Highlanders’ management group – handling the franchise’s commercial, marketing, high performance and team management functions – which will work closely alongside Coach Jamie Joseph and his boys on the paddock."

Laidlaw also acknowledged the assistance and support of both the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Highlanders’ three regional provincial unions in relation the management re-structuring.

Meanwhile, Clark is looking forward to, but does not under estimate, the challenges of his new role:

"My principal task is to establish and maintain the Highlanders’ franchise as a commercially viable organisation. A continuation of significant operating deficits is not acceptable. There are many other important things to do. To build and maintain relationships with all our stakeholders; to assist Jamie Joseph in establishing a Highlander identity and culture, which will hopefully encourage the community to engage with the Highlanders; and to work with our provincial unions, particularly in the areas of player identification, development, recruitment and retention."

Rugby Southland Chairman Owen Shaw, acknowledged Clark’s contribution as CEO of the Stags:

"Roger has been instrumental in leading a resurgence of rugby in Southland as our CEO for the last 12 years. Whilst we are naturally disappointed to lose him, we are 100 per cent behind the new Highlanders’ leadership and wish Roger every success in his new role. We recognise how important it is for rugby in our region that the Highlanders is a successful franchise.”

Clark’s appointment takes effect immediately, but he will remain available to Rugby Southland to ensure a smooth transition to his successor.

NZRU appoints General Manager, Public Affairs

Posted on Sep 30, 2010 in Rugby News

The New Zealand Rugby Union has today announced the appointment of Nick Brown as General Manager, Public Affairs.

Mr Brown is currently Head of Communications and Brand at Alcatel-Lucent (New Zealand and Pacific), a global telecommunications organisation, and will start in the newly-created position in November.

His role will encompass management of the NZRU’s communications, government relations, media management, charities, and online and social media responsibilities.

An experienced communications executive, Mr Brown has held a range of senior roles in the public affairs area including Head of PR and Sponsorship at Telecom New Zealand where he led the company’s NZRU and All Blacks partnership activities.

NZRU CEO Steve Tew said the organisation was pleased to be able to announce such a high–calibre appointee for this newly created and vitally important role.

“The relationships the NZRU has with the multitude of different and diverse organisations and people involved in our game, including our fans, is hugely important and we look forward to having Nick on board to help us further develop those relationships,” he said.

Mr Brown said he is pleased to be joining the organisation at what is an exciting time for the sport in New Zealand.

“It’s a busy period ahead for rugby at every level of the game. I’m looking forward to being part of the NZRU team as they prioritise connecting with all audience groups in relevant and engaging ways,” he said.