RFU to appoint independent director in response to John Steele sacking

The Rugby Football Union is moving quickly to appoint an independent director on its board, to appease council members concerned at the sacking of the chief executive, John Steele, this month. The board agreed months ago to appoint an independent non-executive director but the move lost momentum before the removal of Steele, which followed months of negative headlines generated by the RFU's failure to appoint a rugby performance director. The independent director will have no vested interests and will be a buffer between the elected and executive members of the board, facilitating transparent governance. The RFU board met on Wednesday and agreed to expedite the appointment, pledging that it would have proposals to put to the council at its next meeting, on 10 July. When the council gathered earlier this month, there was a move to call for a vote of no confidence in some members of the board. That was avoided, but the appointment of an independent director was part of a trade-off. Next month's council meeting will hear from the RFU's chief disciplinary officer, Jeff Blackett, who is leading a five-man inquiry into the circumstances that led to Steele's departure, with an emphasis on governance. The board agreed to set up a panel by the end of next week, to oversee the appointment of Steele's successor. The board chairman, Martyn Thomas, will continue as acting chief executive until the position is filled full-time, probably in the new year. Peter Baines will chair board meetings until the new chief executive starts work and will monitor Thomas's performance. He said: "Martyn has done an excellent job in taking over the day-to-day running of the union since John Steele's departure and it was felt he was the best person to fill the role until a full-time appointment is made." Thomas said it was time to concentrate on what the union was doing right. "We are in a good position despite recent events," he said. "We are set to end the year by beating our budget targets and performances on the field this season by our senior team, the Saxons, the Under-20s and the women's side have all been strong. While we accept recent weeks have been challenging, there are many good things happening and I am greatly excited by the privilege of leading the RFU as acting chief executive."