Mark Dodson to step down from chief executive role of Scottish Rugby
Mark Dodson was appointed as chief executive of SRU in 2011
©PA
The Scottish Rugby Union has confirmed that chief executive Mark Dodson will step down from his role in the summer.
The 63-year-old was appointed as the chief executive in 2011 and signed a contract extension in 2022 until June 2025 but now will leave the role this year.
Dodson's choice follows a financial year during which Scottish Rugby recorded a £10 million loss and received backlash for the governing body's management of the passing of Scotland Women international Siobhan Cattigan.
“I’ve been reflecting post the 2023 World Cup and felt it was the right time to bring my Scottish Rugby role to a close and begin looking forward to the next chapter in my career," he told Scottish Rugby's official website.
“With several key organisational elements now in place such as the new governance structure becoming operational, working closely with the new Scottish Rugby Limited Board chair John McGuigan and our national and professional teams settled I felt it was only right to make my intentions known.
“As work progresses on our new 10-year strategy and given I wasn’t going to be in post to see it delivered beyond 2025, I think it’s right and appropriate to give space for the new CEO to come in and take that important work forward.
“I’ve hugely enjoyed my time with Scottish Rugby so far and remain fully committed to our objectives in the coming months. Being chief executive of this great organisation for 13 years has been a privilege.”
Scottish Rugby Limited board chair John McGuigan praised Dodson for his contribution and said the the recruitment process for the next CEO is already underway.
"Mark has given over a decade of his career to Scottish Rugby so it is understandable that this was a significant decision.
"It will though enable us to progress the recruitment for the new performance director and his own successor as chief executive in an open and transparent manner and for that I'd like to thank him.
"Mark has made a significant contribution to Scottish Rugby during his tenure including navigating the Covid pandemic."
