Candidate brief for the position of

CHIEF
EXECUTIVE
OFFICER
WELSH RUGBY UNION
March 2023
CONTENTS
About The Welsh Rugby Union 1
Governance Structure 3
Background 4
The Opportunity 5
The Individual 7
Search Process 8
Candidate Charter 9
How to Express an Interest 10
Appendix:
Current Board Composition 11
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ABOUT THE WELSH RUGBY UNION

Established in 1881, the WRU was one of the founding Rugby Unions. It is the
governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the sport's international
governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is a non-profit governing body true to
its principles. The organisation has 320 member clubs that receive direct cash
investment each year from the Union, and oversees the Welsh national teams,
National Leagues, and Cups.

The WRU also owns the considerable asset of
the Principality Stadium. The WRU combines over
130 years of rugby tradition and heritage with the
requirements of being a modern, commercial, and
dynamic business. Since the restructuring of Welsh
professional rugby in 2003, the men’s team has since
won four Six Nations Grand Slams (2005, 2008,
2012 and 2019), a championship title in 2013, and
reached the semi-final of the 2011 and 2019 Rugby
World Cups. Women and girl’s rugby continues to
develop, with the Women’s National Team reaching
the quarter-final of the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
The WRU aims to develop rugby participation
throughout the communities of Wales; promoting
a healthy lifestyle whilst also ensuring that pathway
structures are in place to ensure the best talent
is given every opportunity to flourish, and one
day represent Wales in the iconic red jersey. The
purpose of the WRU and its principal activity is
to promote rugby to encourage more people to
engage with the game, more often with more
enjoyment and more success.
Group revenue reached £94.3 million in 2022,
with 46% (£43m) coming from match income,
17% (£15.9m) from hospitality and catering
income, and 15% (£14.5m) from commercial
income. Last year a total of £62.9 million was
invested in “Welsh Rugby”, including £34.3m in
allocations to the four Welsh Regions and £10.6m
towards supporting community rugby. Over 370
people are employed across the WRU Group.
The WRU majority owns Millennium Stadium plc,
Millennium Stadium Experience Limited, WRU
National Centre of Excellence Ltd, WRU Gwent
Region Limited (and its subsidiaries),
WRU Supporters Club Ltd, WRU Properties
Limited and Westgate Hotel Cardiff Limited. In
March 2017, the Welsh Rugby Union agreed to
take over the Dragons Regional team as part of
a deal that also saw the WRU take ownership of
the Rodney Parade ground. However, as part of
a revised PRA agreement, the WRU is looking to
divest itself of the Dragons entities and put them
back in private ownership.
The KPIs of the Group are:
Participation in rugby
• Participation levels in Community Rugby;
including men’s, women’s and junior members
Rugby performance
• Success of the national squads – men and women
• Performance of the four Welsh professional clubs
• Performance of the age-grade teams – men and
women
Financial performance
• Generation of sufficient earnings over the medium
term to fulfil the Group’s principal activity and
primary objective
• Number of and attendances at international rugby
matches featuring the Welsh team at Principality
Stadium
• Provision of consistent and affordable levels of
funding to clubs and affiliated organisations
to allow them to implement long term plans
to fulfil their objectives

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Commercial Activity:
The WRU Group has a well-established commercial
programme which delivers significant annual
revenues. The commercial programme has grown in
the past eighteen months and consists of five Principal
Partners, Official Partners, and Official Suppliers.
On the Media & Broadcasting front, BBC & S4C
continue to be official broadcast partners.
The list of commercial partners is now as follows:
Principal Partners:
• Vodafone, Macron, Cazoo, Principality Building
Society, Admiral
Official Partners:
• Guinness, Isuzu, Heineken, Indigo Group,
Celtic Collection, Papa Johns
Official Suppliers:
• Gilbert, Sinclair Mercedes, Rhino, Sportseen,
Events International, Britvic, Princes Gate,
Ticketmaster, Amber, Opro, Total Energies,
Seat Unique, NOCCO, Castell Howell,
Glamorgan Brewing Co., Ted Hopkins
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GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

WRU Board WRU Council

Appointment &
Finance Audit & Risk Professional Community
Remuneration
Sub-Board Committee Rugby Board Rugby Board
Committee

Rugby Business Competitions

Disciplinary
Management Management Management
Committee
Board Board Committee

Club
Executive Board Development
Committee

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BACKGROUND
Following the resignation of Chief Executive Officer
Steve Phillips in January 2023, Odgers Berndtson has
been appointed to lead the search for a new CEO
to lead the WRU through its next phase of growth.
Separately, at an Extraordinary General Meeting
held on 26th March, member clubs voted to
approve a series of major governance reforms.
These include that the Chair should be an
appointed Independent Non-Executive Director
(INED) and that the skillset of Board Directors
should be made more diverse through increasing
the proportion of Independents. The WRU
Board will still comprise 12 individuals, but the
new structure is designed to ensure a greater
diversity of business skills, mindset, gender and
cultural representation, and all other protected
characteristics – ensuring it is truly representative
of all of Welsh rugby. The stated ambition of
the existing Board is that the new Board should
include at least five women.
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THE OPPORTUNITY

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) now seek an exceptionally talented Chief
Executive to lead it through a critical and challenging time in its evolution.
The Union is looking to hire a CEO to drive a large-scale transformation of
its culture and effectiveness, built on a robust and transparent strategy, best-
in-class corporate governance, and a strong set of equitable and inclusive
values. They will be a motivational leader, an astute stakeholder manager,
and a person of the highest integrity.

The new CEO will bring proven success in a senior
executive role of a complex and diverse organisation,
with a track record of leading transformational
change with a major cultural component. They
will be a confident and emotionally intuitive
communicator, negotiator and consensus builder
with the courage of one’s own convictions. They
must be a culture carrier, with the ability to clearly
and compellingly articulate an organisation’s vision
and build diverse and inclusive teams around them.
They will have a grasp of the impact of the many
and varied and often conflicting challenges
within the game, from the funding of grass roots
participation, through the talent pathways with
issues affecting player welfare throughout the game
and ultimately the fundamental challenges for elite
male, female, and non-binary athletes in today’s
competitive arena. Additionally, they will understand
the power of data, which is a key direction of travel
for professional sport. They will have strong business
nous as there are many financial challenges facing
the game, especially at club level, but also many
opportunities with new funding partners at the
professional level. It is an exciting time for the game
on a global basis. An ability to operate effectively
across multi-cultural boundaries is essential.
They must have an appreciation for the game
and the special place it holds in the heart of the
Welsh nation.

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Key Accountabilities
• Provide clear direction and strong leadership
to the Executive team and wider organisation
by determining, communicating, living, and
breathing clear strategic, operational, and
cultural objectives.
• Ensure a fit for purpose, equitable, diverse
and inclusive management and organisational
structure is developed in line with the changing
needs of the organisation, and ensure any
required changes are effectively communicated
to, and understood by, all stakeholders.
• Further deepen and harmonise relations between
the WRU and all the rugby stakeholders
across Wales and, in particular, the four major
professional regions and all of the community
clubs country wide.
• Champion the protection of all that makes rugby
special in Wales, including player performance
and welfare, team spirit, shared values, and
passionate, loyal fans as Welsh Rugby strives
to continue to be a global power brand.
• Drive the growth and professionalisation of the
Women’s game and strive for equity across all
players, coaches, referees, volunteers, and fans
of the game.
• Provide strong, transparent commercial leadership.
Deploy, motivate, manage, and develop resources
to ensure maximum organisational effectiveness,
from a revenue and distribution of funds
standpoint.
• Produce, lead, and execute the Annual Business
Plan and Budget, ensuring alignment with the
Strategic Plan. Oversee, through the Executive
Directors and Heads of Departments, the day-to-
day activities of the WRU to deliver on these plans.
• Working with the Board, manage the WRU in line
with, and champion best practice standards of,
corporate governance across the organisation.
• Work closely with the Chair of both the
Professional Rugby Board and Amateur Rugby
Board to implement the whole game strategy.
• Continue to develop personal and corporate
relationships with the WRU’s key commercial
partners.
• Strive to improve revenues from established and
new sources and ensure new revenue streams
are secured, especially taking into account
changing consumer habits and significant recent
private equity investment into the sport.
• Identify and establish new rugby-related
business ventures in partnership with
commercial partners to deliver significant
additional revenues to the WRU, in particular in
the area of digital content and data ownership.
• Guide the WRU towards sporting success at the
highest levels, including remaining high in the
World Rankings and delivering trophies across
men’s and women’s rugby in both 15s and 7s.
• Be visible and accessible for community clubs
at all times, being truly caring about all levels
of the game.
• Represent the WRU at a number of other external
organisations, which may include: World Rugby
Council, Six Nations, and the British & Irish Lions.
• Act as the WRU’s principal media spokesperson
alongside the Chair of the Board.
• Act as an ambassador for the best interests of
the WRU, including the promotion of the WRU
Core Values.
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THE INDIVIDUAL

Candidate specification:
You will currently be a successful Board-level • Experience of proactive management of risk and
leader, capable of creating and developing a compliance issues that have the potential for
lasting, values-based, high-performing culture reputational damage or adverse industry impacts.
across wide-reaching internal and external • Strong communication skills, including practical
stakeholders. You will be confident leading experience of dealing with the media.
and managing an experienced team through
a transparent and caring culture. You will be a • Outstanding motivational leadership skills,
champion of leading in today’s ever-changing someone who demonstrates passion and who will
world through a fully inclusive lens, and the enthuse and inspire employees and volunteers.
ESG agenda will be at the heart of your modus • Politically astute, with a high level of integrity and an
operandi. You will be both strategic and tactical; open style able to build trust and effective working
capable of developing a sustainable long-term relationships with all of rugby’s stakeholders.
strategy yet delivering in the short-term. Above all,
you will be a consensus builder, uniting the whole • Credible leader who inspires followship and trust
game across the country in its mission to be the while remaining resilient to the pressures of a
best at what it does, in each and every facet of high-profile role; an articulate individual, tactful
the game from playground to podium. You will be and open in communicating with others.
viewed as a listener and a team player, sensitive to • Calm and measured when dealing with adversity
the needs of each group of stakeholders yet have with a high intellectual and emotional quota.
the confidence to take necessary decisions. You
• A committed and loyal individual, prepared
will be adept at communicating effectively the
to work the necessary hours and at weekends.
why, as well as the how, behind every decision.
Leads in terms of commitment and work ethic
• Substantial and proven success as a Chief by personal example.
Executive or Managing Director in a complex • Must have an appreciation for sport and the
organisation with significant P&L and balance values of the game of Rugby Union, with an
sheet accountability. understanding of, and empathy with, how
• Significant experience in delivering group results important rugby is to Wales.
through the effective management and direction
of subsidiary boards, committees and share/
stakeholders.
• Proven ability to establish a strategic vision
through highly tuned listening skills, and to lead
organisational and cultural changes to realise
that vision.
• A proven track record of cultural transformation,
with the ability to positively shape an organisation’s
behaviours and build equitable, diverse and
inclusive teams.
• Demonstrable experience of engaging a diverse
audience and wide spectrum of stakeholders
behind a clear, unified vision.

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SEARCH PROCESS
Approach candidates
We will have an initial discussion with you
over the phone to determine your interest
and suitability for this role and discuss your
background and aspirations.
Interview candidates
Once your interest and suitability has been
determined we will arrange for you to meet
with the lead Partner.
Short listing
Having met with candidates who will differ on
experience, ambition and background, we will
put forward a number of candidates whom we
feel most meet the criteria.
Meeting our clients
The Welsh Rugby Union will meet the candidates
on the shortlist. This will give you the opportunity
to really understand the role, the company culture
and their expectations of you. You will more than
likely have multiple meetings with key stakeholders
to get a feel for the business.
Due diligence
As you will appreciate, you will have conducted
due diligence on Welsh Rugby Union and they will
expect us to do the same for the candidates who
they anticipate would really bring that ‘something
special’ to the business.
Offer and acceptance
The Welsh Rugby Union puts together the offer
which we convey to you. We will fully support
you through your resignation period and beyond.
Ongoing communications
We like to maintain contact with all candidates
from a search. If you have been successful in this
activity we will meet with you after your first
month to ensure that your expectations have been
met. If you have not, we will ensure that you gain
full feedback and we will maintain a relationship
with you for the future.
Inclusion & Diversity
We aim to ensure that each and every stage of
the search process is as inclusive as possible, and
we work to support Welsh Rugby Union in their
own commitment to inclusivity.
Confidentiality
We guarantee that any approach we make to you
and any discussions we have will be in the strictest
confidence. Any discussions will be conducted under
the terms of a formal nondisclosure agreement.
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CANDIDATE CHARTER
Talented people are our lifeblood
Whether we approach you about a specific opportunity, or you contact us to
share your biography and career ambitions, we want you to have a constructive
experience of engaging with Odgers Berndtson.
We recognise that we have a commitment to you as well as to our client, and we
undertake that our dealings with you will be professional, courteous, rigorous
and honest.

We will:
Approach you after considered analysis and If ever you feel we have not lived up to the
in relation to roles where we think there is letter or spirit of this charter, please tell us.
a strong match. Your time is valuable; we We want to know. Email:
don’t want to waste it. KScrope.CEO@odgersberndtson.com
Work to make your candidacy as strong
as it can be.
Represent you effectively and discreetly to
our client, based on accurate information
that you give us in confidence.
Be inclusive, open and fair-minded.
Keep you informed, communicating outcomes
promptly, and giving fair and honest feedback
where we can.
Celebrate your success in the event of a
successful outcome and share any lessons
in the event of disappointment.
Take a long-term view, recognising that you have
a multi-year view of your own career. Where
possible, we will help you fulfil your ambitions.
Embrace continuous improvement, for
example by carrying out regular independent
audits of those we shortlist for roles.

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HOW TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST

Please submit a comprehensive CV along with Contact details:

a covering letter which sets out your interest in
For an initial conversation, in confidence,
the role and encapsulates the aspects of your
please contact:
experience relevant to the required criteria.
Simon Cummins (Global Sports Practice, London):
The preferred method of application is online at:
Simon.Cummins@odgersberndtson.com
www.odgers.com/88308
+44 (0) 7730 498994
The deadline for applications is Sunday 16th April.
Jemma Terry (Welsh Practice, Cardiff)
Following a longlist meeting with the Nominations
Jemma.Terry@odgersberndtson.com
committee in April, successful candidates will be
+44 (0) 7880 545777
invited to attend preliminary interviews with Odgers
Berndtson. Final-round interviews with the WRU Jaspar Topham (Global Sports Practice, London):
will take place in June. Jaspar.Topham@odgersberndtson.com
+44 (0) 7498 714959
To discuss the role in Welsh, please contact
Steffan.Griffiths@odgersberndtson.com Steffan Griffiths (Welsh Practice, Cardiff)
Steffan.Griffiths@odgersberndtson.com
Personal data +44 (0) 7445 297924
In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send
us any information that can identify children or
any of your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic
origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical
beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning
health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic
and / or biometric data) in your CV and application
documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion
of your Sensitive Personal Data in your CV/
application documentation will be understood
by us as your express consent to process this
information going forward.
Please also remember to not mention anyone’s
information or details (e.g. referees) who have
not previously agreed to their inclusion.

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APPENDIX: CURRENT BOARD COMPOSITION

Ieuan Evans | Chair

Ieuan Evans MBE was elected as a National Council Member of the Welsh Rugby Union by member clubs,
winning a three-way vote against incumbent Gareth Davies and Nigel Davies.
Evans’ tenure began after the close of October’s Annual General Meeting in 2020.
The former Carmarthen Quins, Llanelli, Bath, Wales and British & Irish Lions wing has forged a distinguished
ambassadorial and media career since his retirement from playing.
He replaced Rob Butcher as chair of the WRU in November 2022.

Anthony Buchanan | Vice-Chair

Anthony Buchanan was re-appointed to the Welsh Rugby Union Board in March 2022.
The former Wales and Llanelli prop returned to the WRU Council as a National Council Member following an election
among its member clubs a month before.
He replaced Liza Burgess who stood down from her position as a National Council Member to pursue a different role
with the Union.
A veteran of the business world Buchanan is a retired company director, a former Welsh international and the current
chairman of Llanelli Rugby Club.
He spent almost three decades as a player and team manager for Llanelli and the Scarlets and has served a number
of distinguished roles for his home town club Ystradgynlais.
Buchanan first served as a WRU Board and Council Member from 2014 before standing down in 2019, when he
was replaced by Burgess.
He is now also the vice-chair of the WRU.

Henry Engelhardt | Independent NED

Henry Engelhardt was appointed alongside Catherine Read as an Independent Non-Executive Director by the WRU
on March 2021.
Engelhardt was a joint founder of Cardiff-based Admiral, a £3.5bn turnover insurance business employing 11,000 staff
and supporting five million customers, and was its CEO from 1991 until 2016, when he stepped away.
His formal association with Welsh rugby dates back to 2010 when the FTSE 100 company famously became front of
shirt sponsors to the Wales national side and they remain a community partner to this day.
The American entrepreneur and businessman is now semi-retired but still sits on one of Admiral’s subsidiary company
boards in the US and was an NED for Wales Millennium Centre for a recent seven-year period.
Originally from Chicago, with a journalistic degree from the University of Michigan, Engelhardt is a philanthropist
who has lived in the Welsh capital for over 30 years and now describes himself as ‘dreaming
in rugby’. He is also a minority shareholder of the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

Catherine Read | Independent NED

Catherine Read was appointed alongside Henry Engelhardt as an Independent Non-Executive Director by the WRU
on March 2021.
Read, who is a Chartered Accountant, is COO of Royal London Asset Management, one of the UK’s leading fund
management companies, managing around £148bn of assets and will combine this role with her appointment to
the WRU Board.
She is originally from Haverfordwest and is an Executive Board Director with nearly 20 years’ experience in COO
and Audit roles for large financial institutions and Big Four consultancies.
She won the Markets Media 2020 European Women in Finance ‘Excellence in Leadership’ Award.
She has a unique affinity with Welsh rugby, steeped in her family connections from grass roots through to the
international game.

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CURRENT BOARD CONTD.

Dave Young | Board Member

Joined the Board in 2014.
He played for the youth and senior teams of Llandaff North and, following injury, joined the committee, latterly
as the rugby secretary, and was awarded life membership after 23 years of service. He was formerly a selector,
vice chairman and competition secretary for the East District Rugby Union.
He is a retired chartered electrical engineer and former design and construction manager for Cardiff Council.

Phil Thomas | Board Member

Joined the Board in 2015.
From Clydach, he is a former Wales Schools U16 international and played youth rugby for Morriston before
joining Vardre where he became club secretary, vice chairman and then chairman in 2012.
He works for the City and County of Swansea.

Chris Morgan | Board Member

Joined the Board in 2014 and was re-elected to the Board in March 2019, following the transition period for
the governance changes that were approved at the 2018 AGM.
He is also a District Council Member for District D.
He played rugby for Glyncorrwg, Tonmawr and the Royal Marines, before moving into the coaching
environment where his main background is in strength and conditioning.
He has worked in this field at Premiership level with Swansea and Aberavon, spent three years in the Regional
set up with the Ospreys senior squad and played a significant part in the management and coaching set up
of the Wales Deaf Rugby team which won the World Cup in New Zealand in 2002.
He is a former senior non-commissioned officer in the Royal Marines with 18 years’ experience, holding high
profile appointments during a distinguished career.

Malcom Wall | Board Member & Chair, PRB

Was appointed to the Board in March 2022, having been appointed to chair the Professional Rugby Board.
A former chair of Premiership Rugby side Harlequin F.C., Wall has extensive high level business experience
including a range of high profile non-executive directorships and several chief executive (CEO), chief operating
officer (COO) or managing director (MD) roles, across the media industry.
Also chair of three separate media companies – including dock10 Ltd, the Media City production facility and largest
independent television studios in the UK, he was formally CEO and then advisor to the board at Abu Dhabi
Media and most recently MD at Song Lin Ltd, before forming his own consultancy Malcolm Wall Media in 2013.
Wall has been Meridian Broadcasting deputy CEO, lead the multinational media company United Business
Media as COO and was CEO, Content for Virgin Media LLC.
He has also run Virgin Media’s content business, including Virgin Media Television and was chairman of UKTV.

John Manders | Board Member

Was elected as a National Council Member in July 2020 and was re-elected in September 2021.
A former sergeant with South Wales Police, he was capped by Wales at youth level and toured South Africa in 1980.
He played for Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd but is a stalwart of Old Illtydians rugby club.
After retiring from the Police Service, he has continued to work as an assessor, lectures in law at the University of
South Wales, is also artistic director at Tickledom Theatrical Productions and a director of learning at Credwch Ltd.
He was elected to the position of Community Game Board chair in November 2022 which saw him also join the
WRU Board in place of outgoing WRU chair Rob Butcher.

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CURRENT BOARD CONTD.

Colin Wilks | Board Member

Joined the Board in 2019 as District Council Member for District A. He is Secretary, a Director and a former
Chairman of Risca rugby club, who led the club through its incorporation process and is also a level 3 coach.
He has spent 47 years in rugby, firstly as a player, then referee, coach and now an administrator. His business
background was an experienced manager, working in the mining & metals industry in both Manufacturing and
Commercial sectors. A former school governor he is a University of Glamorgan engineering graduate, he also
has a postgraduate degree in business administration from the University of Wales. He is now retired.

Chris Jones | Board Member

Joined the Board in 2018 and is now a District Council Member for District G. A one club man, he was a
founding member of Newcastle Emlyn and has been its Secretary since its formation in 1977. He is a life
member of the club as well as a past player, captain and coach.
He is a former coach to the Welsh Schools Intermediate (Under 16) International side. He also chaired the
Intermediate Group and the Schools Council. He represented the Schools on the old WRU Committee. Educated
at Llandysul Grammar School and Loughborough Colleges, he taught PE for 35 years until his retirement in 2010.

Nigel Walker | Board Member

Nigel Walker OBE started his role as acting CEO in January 2023, when replacing Steve Phillips.
He joined the group in 2021 as Performance Director – his appointment was announced in June 2021 before
he officially joined in September.
The former Olympic athlete, Welsh rugby international and Cardiff RFC wing, joined from the position of
National Director at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and has also held a string of high-profile posts in Welsh
sport since retiring from the game in the late 90s.
Excelling off the field as impressively as he did on it, Walker worked for the Welsh Institute of Sport before
becoming Head of Sport at BBC Wales for a five-year period.
He continued to rise through the ranks at BBC and was elevated to Head of Change and Internal
Communications, serving the corporation for a further five years, and was with EIS for eleven years.
He has also served as a UK Sport Board member from 2006-10, was Chair of the Major Events Panel and
a member of the Audit Committee.

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