Professor Lorne Crerar CBE appointed as SCOG independent chair

21 Jan 2022

Professor Lorne Crerar CBE, chairman and founding partner of law firm Harper Macleod LLP, has been appointed as the new independent chair of the Standing Committee on Governance (SCOG) of the Scottish Rugby Union Council, succeeding Gavin MacColl QC.

Member clubs have been invited to provide feedback on proposals for a new governance structure for the SRU. SCOG is pleased with the level of interest and responses received so far but would encourage any club still considering its draft proposals and who wishes to submit a response, they should feel free to do so.

Professor Lorne Crerar CBE said: “It is an honour to be appointed to this position within Scottish rugby, and I am looking forward to working with all stakeholders as the structure of our game and authorities, moves forward. It will be an interesting and challenging role, but I am very confident the recent issues, aired by many parts of the game, will be suitably resolved and we can move forward together in union.

“The Standing Committee has made a positive and constructive start to the year. We thank those member clubs who have taken the time to respond to the recent consultation to date and would actively encourage others to reply. We are confident that any outstanding issues of governance will be resolved, and to the satisfaction of SRU members.”

SCOG was created as a sub-committee of the Council of the Scottish Rugby Union to assist the Council with consultation and recommendations on aspects of the Scottish Rugby Union’s governance and structure.

Professor Lorne Crerar CBE is one of the two founding partners of law firm Harper Macleod LLP. A former rugby player and referee, Lorne is a former chairman of the European Rugby Cup Tournament (ECPR) and was a judicial officer at four Rugby World Cups. For more than 20 years he was chairman of the Discipline Panels for the SRU, European Rugby Cup and 6 Nations. In addition to Professor Crerar’s rugby experience, he has also conducted two significant governance reviews for the Scottish Government, namely; the Crerar Review of regulation, audit, inspection and complaints handling of public services in Scotland; and a review of Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies which was adopted by the Scottish Parliament.

Issued by Harper Macleod on behalf of the Standing Committee on Governance.