Scottish Rugby Union appoints first two Custodians as new governance structure takes shape

Former 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games CEO David Grevemberg CBE and Cheryl Black, an experienced Customer Service Director and Non-Executive Director from the telecoms and digital sector, were selected following an external recruitment process.

David and Cheryl will join the Scottish Rugby Union Board in early 2023, and sit alongside its Chair, Professor Lorne Crerar CBE, current Scottish Rugby President Colin Rigby, former Scottish Rugby President Ian Barr and Vice-President Keith Wallace.

A further two custodian positions will be recruited from the Scottish rugby community in the new year through a recruitment campaign.

Based in Edinburgh, Cheryl Black has held a varied portfolio of non-exec roles across the private and public sectors in Scotland and the UK over the past 11 years, including with the NHS, EDF Nuclear, Telefonica and Scottish Widows.

Rugby has played an important role in Cheryl’s family life for many years, and she brings a breadth of experience in delivering customer service success from the operational to Board level. Key to this has been the role of people and culture within an organisation to drive good governance and performance.

Before the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, David Grevemberg was Executive Director of Sport and International Federation Relations at the International Paralympic Committee for ten years.

Following the Glasgow Games, he became the Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation. During that time, he refocussed the organisation using the power of sport for community benefit, social change and legacy generation across the Commonwealth.

He is currently working as Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer at the Centre for Sport and Human Rights based in Geneva, Switzerland.

He brings a focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), strategic planning and delivery and the importance of values in sport to the Scottish Rugby Union role.

Chair of the Scottish Rugby Union Board, Professor Lorne Crerar, said: “The opportunity to take on the new role of Custodian within Scottish Rugby created an astonishing number of candidates of a very high standard and we were greatly assisted throughout the recruitment process by Carlyle, our search partner.

“I am therefore delighted Cheryl and David are joining us as they both have outstanding relevant backgrounds and are very committed to the ethos and opportunities for the growth and development of Scottish Rugby.

“Their respective experience across digital, customer service, ESG and sport, I believe, will be hugely beneficial to the role of the Scottish Rugby Union Board and future direction of Scottish Rugby itself. Their appointments are an important next step and I look forward to working with them.”

Cheryl Black said: “Rugby runs like DNA through my family and given the hugely positive influence it has had on our lives, through playing and being members of clubs, I felt this was a unique opportunity to give back to the sport.

“I believe customer service, which played a significant part in my career, is an ethos, not a department and in my experience the customers have very often been the ‘owners’ of the business also, and I can see clear parallels to Scottish Rugby in that model.

“I am very much looking forward to getting started and bringing my experience to the custodian role.”

David Grevemberg said: “It is a true honour to be selected to serve and support the Scottish Rugby Union family during this critical and exciting time in the sport’s transition and growth.

“I look forward to working with my fellow Custodian Directors and the broader leadership across the Scottish Rugby landscape as we continue to enable our athletes and teams to inspire and make Scotland proud now and well into the future.

“I’m particularly looking forward to welcoming more people into the sport, whether as players, officials, volunteers or supporters at the community level and beyond.”