• Consulting firm, SRi, takes detailed look into USA Rugby governance in order to provide guidance on organizational structure.

• Initial Report has been delivered to the USA Rugby Board for review.

• USA Rugby welcomes Paul Santinelli to the Board of Directors as transitional member.

• Mark Lambourne to carry out duties of ‘Restructuring Officer’

LAFAYETTE, CO – In an effort to better structure the organizational operations of USA Rugby, the union recently engaged consulting firm, SRi, to take an in depth look at its governance and operations to provide detailed suggestion on best practice moving forward from Congress through to the Board, followed by an overview of the National Office. With recent movement atop the union’s leadership council, USA Rugby hopes to evaluate its operational strategy to offer the executive, it’s national teams and membership, the best possible governance. With the interim and transitional period in effect, Paul Santinelli has also been recruited to join the Board of Directors. Mark Lambourne will continue his good work to date as an advisor to the Board and CEO as Restructuring Officer. Initially Mark’s remit is for a 90-day period with a focus on the re-integration of commercial activities back within the framework of USA Rugby.

SRi was first consulted in May and through the support of the board, has analyzed processes and practice around the USA Rugby Board, pertaining to – but not limited to – leadership, strategy, commercial and diversity. A full report was then compiled and delivered back to the board for review and suggested recommendations. Furthermore, detailed work has been commissioned to cover the same themes across the wider organization. Information around SRi’s findings and possible amendments to structure will be communicated to congress and USA Rugby membership in due course.

As the Board reviews the proposals and analysis, Paul Santinelli has been recruited to the leadership group as a transitional board member in support of this review period. As a General Partner with North Bridge Venture Partners, Santinelli’s understanding for corporate structure comes as a welcomed value. Santinelli has been immersed in the American rugby community for over 30 years, most notably as President and a current player with San Francisco Golden Gate.

USA Rugby Interim CEO, Ross Young, stated “As everyone knows we are going through a tough transitional phase, so it is imperative that we take this time to stand back and review how we operate from top to bottom.

“Having an organization with the track record of SRi, who have successfully carried out similar work with the likes of 6Nations and other sporting National Governing Bodies, will be a huge asset for us. Paul with his energy and connectivity to community rugby and Mark with his institutional knowledge, work done on Congress and more recently with RIM will both add immense value as we look to build for a successful long-term future.”