Scottish Rugby AGM: Leadership terms extended for Board Chairs

Scottish Rugby’s respective Board Chairs, Professor Lorne Crerar and John McGuigan, will each continue their leadership roles for a further three years after their terms of office were extended it was confirmed at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, held on 26 November 2025.

Professor Crerar’s tenure as Chair of the Custodian Scottish Rugby Union Board has been extended through to October 2028, having been due to expire in October 2025.

He is joined in continuing in post on the SRU Board by fellow Custodian Directors David Grevemberg and Cheryl Black whose terms extend for up to three years through to 2028, with their current tenures having been due to expire in December 2025.

To build on the improved financial stability reported in the 2024/25 Annual Report and provide consistency of strategic guidance and support to the executive team, Scottish Rugby Limited Chair John McGuigan will also serve a second term.

His extension to May 2029 was proposed by the SRL’s Nomination Committee and unanimously agreed by the SRL Board and then approved by the SRU Board, under Scottish Rugby’s governance arrangements.

To provide further continuity three of SRL’s Independent Non-Executive Directors have also agreed to continue in post for three more years. Alex Whelan and Mike Soutar extend to June 2029 and Ruth Davidson to July 2029.

As well as building on the work done returning the organisation to a financially sustainable position, these steps ensure there is clarity on board leadership and roles during the recruitment of a new Independent Non-Executive Director position for the vacancy created by Stephen White, who stepped down from the SRL Board in the summer after relocating to Australia for a new career opportunity.

Scottish Rugby Union Chair, Professor Lorne Crerar, said: “It is an immense privilege to serve as Chair of SRU and I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to continue for a second term in the role. Since the new governance arrangements took effect in November 2022, much progress has been made and the key task going forward will be to ensure the continued momentum of positive outcomes for the whole of Scottish Rugby and its stakeholders.

I was also very pleased that both Cheryl and David have also agreed to further serve, as they have been very important contributors to the efforts of SRU.

“The SRU Board was also pleased to approve the recommendation of its operating company, Scottish Rugby Limited, to the appointment for a further term of its Chair, John McGuigan.

John’s leadership has been instrumental in driving significant progress since his appointment and we were very pleased John has agreed to continue, which will ensure consistency and continued momentum towards a bright future for Scottish Rugby.”

Scottish Rugby Limited Chair, John McGuigan, said: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to continue my work as Chair of Scottish Rugby Ltd. Whilst progress has been made over the last three years there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure we are recognised by our peers as a leading Union in the global game.

“I’m privileged to lead a passionate and very capable team of non-executives and have the opportunity to work with our CEO Alex Williamson and his team. The SRL board are also committed to working closely with the Custodian Board. I’m pleased Lorne has agreed to extend his term as Chair, as it’s critical we have continuity in the governance of Scottish Rugby as we face into the challenges that lie ahead.”

The meeting of member clubs heard from both Chairs and then, in turn: Scottish Rugby President, Keith Wallace; Chief Executive Alex Williamson; Chief Financial Officer, David White; and Vice-President (and Chair of the Club Rugby Board) Hazel Swankie.

The AGM was delivered in hybrid fashion, with 40 clubs represented in attendance and the remainder, 100, joining online. The necessary quorum was met as one third of eligible voters were represented.

To that end, there was a 99% approval vote to ratify the 2024/25 Financial Statement.

The evening’s second vote centred around two Custodian Directors to be appointed to the SRU Board, with Maxine Manditsch and Alison Milne seeking re-appointments after being ratified at the 2023 AGM and Blair Stewart and Darren Crowther the other nominees.

The two positions for 2025 onwards were to be focussed on Financial, and Strategic/Welfare, with the respective votes cast in two lots, per position.

For the Custodian Director – Financial, Blair Stewart was successful with 66.6% of the vote, while for the Custodian Director – Strategic/Welfare, Alison Milne continues in post securing 63.3% of the vote. Both will now serve on the SRU Custodian Board for a two-year term.