Tim Burton, Head of Group Services for the Welsh Rugby Union who is responsible for the appointment process within the WRU Group said: “We conducted a competitive tender exercise in this appointment with four companies short listed but Odgers Ray & Berndtson were selected on a number of core criteria.
“The position will be advertised shortly and Odgers will then draw up a long-list of candidates drawn from the responses to the advertisement as well as from a closely targeted search of candidates in the UK and overseas. Following preliminary interviews, Odgers will meet with the selection panel to choose the final short-list.”
“We anticipate the selection and interview process will take place in August and September.”
WRU and Millennium Stadium chairman David Pickering said, “The seven man panel is made up of WRU President Keith Rowlands and myself; the three chairs of our major WRU sub committees in Martin Davies, Alan Jones and Russell Howell; Dr David Hammond who is an independent member of the panel along with Lord Faulkner of Worcester who represents the Millennium Stadium Board of Directors. Martin Davies and I also represent the Millennium Stadium board. The panel is similar in size to the panel, experience and expertise who selected David Moffett in 2002.
“We believe this to be one of the most exciting and challenging jobs in world sport. We have already received a number of expressions of interest and we are confident that the applications will provide us with people of the highest calibre who are capable of succeeding in this role.”
WRU Board Member Gerald Davies is a non executive director of Odgers and declared this interest at the beginning of the process in line with best practice corporate governance. As a result of this, he will not be taking part in any decisions on this matter.
The search will be led for Odgers by Ian McLeod and Victoria Provis.
“Rugby is in the blood in Wales,” said Ian McLeod. “So we’re really pleased to be asked to find the Welsh Rugby Union’s new group CEO. Roles of this kind require as much business acumen as they do enthusiasm for sport. Our recent appointments of this type have included senior positions at the MCC, at the Scottish Rugby Union and for London 2012.”
