Appointments Confirmed

Welsh Rugby Union – General Manager

Steven Lewis

Date of commencement – 3 March 2003

A past pupil and student of Abertillery Grammar School and Leeds University respectively, Steven Lewis also undertook post Graduate degrees at both Oxford (Education) and Columbia Universities (Business). A Member of the British Institute of Management, he is currently Chairman of the Welsh Manufacturing Advisory Service Steering Committee – a project jointly funded by the DTI, the Welsh Assembly Government and the WDA.

For the past 10 years he has been Vice-President and Managing Director of the European operations of large US multinational corporations, with total strategic, operational, commercial, P&L & balance sheet responsibility. Steven has substantial leadership skills and experience of building high performance, customer-focussed teams. He also has extensive experience in the formulation and successful implementation of 3-5 year strategic plans, operating plans, annual budgets and forecasts in a framework of constant appraisal, variance reporting and revision.

A former Wales Schools International and Senior trialist, Steven won a Rugby Blue at Oxford at scrum-half. He played his club rugby at Ebbw Vale and Bath and is also played for the Barbarians. He is a qualified WRU Level 3 Coach and Lectures on the Level 4 Coaching Course in the Leadership and Management Module.

Steven is married with three children and lives in Abergavenny.

Millennium Stadium – General Manager

Paul Sergeant

Date of commencement – 5 May 2003

Paul Sergeant has been in the sports, entertainment and leisure industry for 22 years and is recognized as one of the leading figures in the venue management business.

An integral part of the National Garden Festival event staged at Alton Towers, he then moved on to Wembley Stadium where he was quickly promoted to Commercial Director of the Complex. In this role he created one of the most dynamic and successful commercial management teams anywhere in the world. He then helped negotiate Wembley through a difficult period in ’93 and ’94 and was rewarded by being elevated to the role of Stadium Director, a position combining his commercial expertise with the operational aspects of the world famous Stadium.

Paul’s reign saw the Stadium enjoy its most prolific period in its history. In fact the business became so well recognized around the world that Wembley formed a venue consultancy business to cope with the interest and Paul became involved in projects in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. In 1996 he was voted as Ambassador for London. In 1998 he was voted International Venue Manager of the year and Wembley was voted International venue of the year.

When the Football Association purchased the Stadium in 1999 the Stadium/Arena business was separated and his role changed as the Stadium operation targeted its closure date at the end of that year. On leaving Wembley, he acted as a freelance consultant in projects in Australia, Germany and South Korea, before joining the Noble organization, a privately owned leisure operator in the United Kingdom.

Paul is married with two children

Welsh Rugby Union Group – General Manager, Commercial and Marketing

Gwyn Thomas

Date of commencement: 24 March 2003

Educated at Pencoed Comprehensive School and a past student at Manchester Business School, Gwyn Thomas is at the final stage of a three-year part time Masters Degree in Marketing at the University of Glamorgan. He has worked for Tesco in Wales for 24 years. His interests, as a passionate Welshman, in the marketing of Welsh Rugby, was first stimulated when he persuaded Tesco to become involved in Rugby World Cup in 1999.

The company’s sponsorship of the World Cup Ball Relay and its involvement in the Rugby store and the Event in the Tent, three separate projects put together in the space of only twelve weeks, won him much internal and external acclaim. He received further acclaim for his tireless efforts on last year’s Ian Botham walk through Wales. He has had two spells as Marketing Manager for Tesco in Wales. His rural marketing strategy was adopted by the company in 1999.

As Chairman of Tesco – Wales group, he set-up to raise £500,000 for the Children’s Hospital for Wales, Gwyn will leave the company with the target well in sight. He is an innovative marketeer with flexibility, adaptability, and tenacity allied to acute business awareness. He will bring a fresh and customer-led approach to the marketing of Welsh Rugby.

Gwyn is married with two daughters and lives in Nelson, Mid Glamorgan.