Leaked document shows what the WRU was looking for in an independent chair

Martin Shipton

An internal briefing document, leaked to Nation,Cymru, sets out in detail what kind of person was wanted as the first appointed Chair of the WRU.

One senior Welsh rugby source told us that the contents of the guidance note for those involved in making the appointment suggested that former First Minister Carwyn Jones should have been selected for the role rather than the successful applicant, Richard Collier-Keywood, the former global vice-chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The decision to have an appointed Chair, rather than an elected one, followed a torrid period during which allegations of sexual harassment and misogyny in the organisation were exposed in a BBC Wales TV documentary. Members of the WRU agreed to a radical overhaul of its governance.

The briefing document, on official WRU notepaper, is headed with the bilingual slogan “THIS IS OUR GAME. DYMA RYGBI CYMREIG.” and is titled “Independent Chair – Interview”.

Criteria

It states: “ We have agreed the below criteria as our guiding principles for the recruitment of the Chair. Therefore, we will use these to base our decisions on at the final shortlist and subsequent interviews.

1. Ambassadorial – how well do you think they will represent the Welsh Rugby Union and

Welsh Rugby and Culture across a very broad spectrum of stakeholders and communities –

grassroots to elite; home and abroad; media and politicians?

2. Governance – just how deep is their Chair experience and where can they point to

experience that is the same or close to the complexity of the Welsh Rugby Union?

3. Commercial/Financial/Operational – has their Exec and Non- Exec career demonstrated

that they can handle the heavy lifting required at the Welsh Rugby Union; how experienced

are they in developing and mentoring CEOs?

4. Managing Change – where do they think they sit on the scale of evolutionary to

revolutionary? Can you imagine them working with the Welsh Rugby Union Council and the

Executive and adjusting their style accordingly?

5. Ego – do you think they will use their ego in the service of the Welsh Rugby Union or do

you have concerns? Do you sense humility and/or vulnerability anywhere in conversation?

6. EQ [Emotional intelligence] – do you think they are comfortable in their own skin and therefore do they have the ability to understand and influence the emotions and behaviours of others? Did they present themselves as someone who is self-aware?

7. Resilience – what is their inner steel, can they evidence that in a way that gives you

confidence they’ve got what it takes to do this role and bounce back when it’s really tough?

8. Motivation – does it fit with our mission and purpose? Is their rationale compelling and

do they give you the sense that this is a job that ultimately they would find fulfilling; can they give us the time we need?”

Questions were then allocated to various members of the interviewing panel under a series of headings:

Motivational / Ego

(Does it fit with our mission and purpose? Is their rationale compelling and do they give you the sense that this is a job that ultimately they would find fulfilling; can they give us the time we need?

Do you think they will use their ego in the service of the Welsh Rugby Union or do you have concerns? Do you sense humility and/or vulnerability anywhere in conversation?)

Questions

• The WRU has been through a tough six months, including in the national and local media. Talk to us about what has drawn you to this position at this time?

• You have had a very successful career, holding strong Executive and Non-Executive roles;

why would this role be different and what would it achieve for you?

• Ultimately, in three years, what would you have wanted to achieve from being the Chair of WRU, professionally and personally?

Ambassadorial

(How well do you think they will represent the Welsh Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby and Culture across a very broad spectrum of stakeholders and communities – grassroots to elite; home and abroad; media and politicians?)

Questions

• Who are our key stakeholders and how will you build strong, trusted relationships with them

for the benefit of Welsh Rugby and everyone involved in our game?

• Give us one unique, creative idea for each of a) the community game, b) the women’s game, c) the professional game (the regions) and d) the men’s national team that would make each one better, more successful

Governance

(Just how deep is their Chair experience and where can they point to experience that is the same or close to the complexity of the Welsh Rugby Union?)

Questions

• The WRU has recently undergone a Board effectiveness review and there are a number of

recommendations from that about improving the functionality of the Board. What does good governance look like to you and how will you lead this?

• What do you believe the qualities of an excellent chair are?

Commercial/Financial/Operational/EQ

(Has their Exec and Non- Exec career demonstrated that they can handle the heavy lifting required at the Welsh Rugby Union; how experienced are they in developing and mentoring CEOs?

Do you think they are comfortable in their own skin and therefore do they have the ability to understand and influence the emotions and behaviours of others? Did they present themselves as someone who is self-aware?)

Questions

• You get the job and we have a press conference to announce you are the new Chair. At the

press conference one of the reporters asks you very simply ‘what are you going to do

straightaway’ What do you answer?

• One of the first tasks for this role will be to appoint the CEO for the WRU. What experience

do you have in recruiting, developing and mentoring CEOs or senior leaders?

• Share your leadership style with us, do you have any blind spots in your experience that you will look to others to fill on your behalf?

Managing Change/Resilience

(Where do they think they sit on the scale of evolutionary to revolutionary? Can you imagine them working with the Welsh Rugby Union Council and the Executive and adjusting their style accordingly?

What is their inner steel, can they evidence that in a way that gives you confidence they’ve got what it takes to do this role and bounce back when it’s really tough?)

• What, in your opinion, are the important changes that the WRU need to focus on to be

successful in the future?

You will be leading the WRU through the outcome of the independent review and

implementation of all the recommendations which is likely to put WRU back in the spotlight.

How do you keep yourself composed when things get tough?”

Space is provided for comments on candidate-specific questions/probes/scenarios.

At the bottom is a section for summary comments and candidate feedback, with a note in brackets saying: “This will be collated into a one pager for each candidate post interview so please be clear and succinct in your feedback”.

Strengths

Finally, members of the panel were asked to list the candidates’ strengths, “watch outs” or development areas.

A Welsh rugby source with inside knowledge of the appointment process told us: “It seems clear from these questions that Carwyn Jones was the best qualified candidate for the job. Who could be better qualified for the role using these criteria than a former First Minister of Wales?

“Were those on the appointment panel expected to give candidates points in line with the questions? If so, can the scores be released relating to Carwyn Jones and the successful candidate? If points were not collected in a formal way, the selection process lacked the rigour that should be expected in such an important appointment. And if answers to these questions weren’t properly evaluated, on what basis was the appointment made?”

A WRU spokesman sought to diminish the significance of the briefing document, stating: “Please note this is not the document used by the selection panel for the interview process you refer to.

“We are happy with the integrity of the process which saw two candidates appointed as new Independent non-executive directors to the WRU board, including one as chair, and are delighted with both appointments.”

The other new non-executive board member is Alison Thorne, who has an executive background in the retail sector and is a former Chair of the equality charity Chwarae Teg.