England Rugby
RFU appoint two independent directors
ESPNscrum Staff
November 2, 2011
Miles Templeman, Director General of the Institute of Directors, April 25, 2007
Miles Templeman, Director General of the Institute of Directors will join the RFU board of directors in a non-executive role © Getty Images
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The Rugby Football Union Council has approved the appointment of Miles Templeman and Andrew Higginson as Independent Non Executive Directors of the RFU.

Templeman, who has spent the last seven years as Director General of the Institute of Directors, and Higginson, who has been a director of Tesco plc for the last 14 years, join the RFU in accordance with one of the major recommendations of the highly critical Blackett report into the Union's governance.

RFU chairman Paul Murphy welcomed their appointment, commenting, "The Rugby Football Union is a growing organisation with a complex business model. Miles and Andrew are two high calibre individuals who will bring complementary experience and skills of great range and depth to the RFU in terms of Corporate Governance, and Commercial, Financial and Strategic acumen.

"Both are passionate about rugby and both have significant experience as Non Executive Directors in a wide range of sectors which will enhance the running of our business. These two appointments demonstrate our commitment to best practice and good corporate governance of the Rugby Football Union. They address one of the recommendations of the recent Blackett report."

Following his appointment, Higginson said, "Rugby is a great sport to be involved in and I'm delighted to be joining the RFU Board. Rugby is healthy in financial terms and in the richness of its deep-rooted values. I've seen the benefits of those values and the camaraderie it promotes at first hand through my involvement in the game as a parent and a volunteer.

"The sport faces many challenges but I hope to bring experience of creating winning organisations in tough markets, my own strengths in man management and team building, and a range of insight gained in over 30 years in business. As well as my executive career, I have a range of experience as a Non Executive Director, including in the professionally managed, family-owned business, Clarks Shoes, and in the media with BskyB."

Templeman said: "I am delighted to be joining the RFU board not only to help resolve the concerns and difficulties in governance and structure at the top of the game but also to help the development and success of rugby union both at a professional level and throughout the community game."

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