Leighton Davies: Former BBC accountant named WRU chief financial officer
- Published
Leighton Davies is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a graduate of Cardiff University
Welsh accountant Leighton Davies has been appointed chief financial officer at the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) Group.
A former BBC finance director, Davies is the first senior appointment since Abi Tierney took up the role of WRU chief executive officer in January.
He is currently global controller at Ecolab company Purolite.
"Rugby means more to us in Wales than it does in any other nation around the globe and this is a role I will relish," said Crynant-born Davies.
"This is an exciting time to be joining Welsh rugby and I'm really looking forward to the challenge, to helping get to grips with the issues affecting our clubs, the professional game and our communities and to playing my part in finding the solutions that will help the game grow to its full potential.
"I am a finance leader with proven commercial business acumen, I will bring an ability to see and help drive the big commercial picture as well as ensuring the finance function at the Welsh Rugby Union is efficient, effective and reliable for all other parts of the business."
Davies will take up his new role in April.
"It has been vitally important for us to find the right person to fill this CFO position and, in Leighton, we have found someone who is not only passionate about the game in Wales but who brings a wealth of relevant operational experience, commercial acumen and gravitas to the role," said chief executive Tierney.
"Leighton joins us at a time when we are designing a new strategy for the game in Wales and his insight and expertise will be invaluable to that process, just as it will be to the business and operational management of Welsh rugby in the months and years ahead."
Tierney has promised to deliver a new strategy for rugby in Wales by June with the WRU facing problems on and off the field.
Wales finished bottom of the 2024 Six Nations for the first time in 21 years, while the nation's four professional regions are struggling in the face of financial cuts.
At the start of the year chair Richard Collier-Keywood promised things will change in 2024 after admitting 2023 was "a year to forget" for the governing body.
An independent report in November found aspects of the WRU culture were sexist, misogynistic, racist and homophobic.
The WRU have also appointed board member Alison Thorne to a new position of senior independent director.
Thorne is a former chair of equality charity Chwarae Teg. She is the lead in Wales for Women on Boards and chairs Barcud Housing and National Dance Company Wales.
"We have a dynamic and diverse board in place to govern Welsh rugby, one that has already progressed significantly in a short period of time," said Thorne.
"I see my role as one that supports the chair but also helps to hold the chair accountable and can work as a conduit between the chair and other board members and stakeholders."
Collier-Keywood said: "This is a new role for the WRU but it is a vital part of good governance to have a senior independent director in place to act as a focal point for other directors as necessary to ensure that I, as chair, am accountable for my performance and behaviours. This is something that is widely regarded as best practice for a good strong board."