The WRU Board
Richard Collier-Keywood is a former UK managing partner and Global vice-chair of PwC, has been a senior adviser to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and became the first independent chair of the WRU in July 2023.
He is also on the Board of the National Community Lottery Fund and Women of the World, which promotes gender equality internationally.
Jennifer Mathias joined the WRU Board as an independent Non-Executive Director (iNED), October 2023.
Jennifer currently serves at Group Chief Financial Office (CFO) at Rathbones Group, the £1.2bn wealth management firm listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Starting her career on the Lloyds TSB Finance graduate scheme, Mathias quickly rose through the ranks and held a number a senior management roles at Lloyds TSB Group including finance director of Corporate Banking and head of Credit Risk and Compliance for the Commercial Banking division.
In 2012 she joined Coutts private bank as the Global Chief Finance Officer before moving to EFG Private Bank (UK) in 2015 as chief finance officer and subsequently deputy chief executive officer before taking up the position at Rathbones in 2019.
In 2013 Mathias was named in the PAM Top 40 under 40 (UK wealth management awards recognising rising stars in the industry).
Born and brought up in Pembrokeshire on a family farm, Welsh rugby has been a lifelong passion. Jennifer currently resides in Tenby, West Wales.
Andrew is an INED of the Welsh Rugby Union, having joined the Board in January 2024.
He was CEO of Halma plc, the global safety, health and environmental technology group, for 18 years until 2023. Under his leadership, Halma grew from a business worth £500m into a top FTSE50 company worth £10Bn, through a combination of strong sustainable organic revenue growth and over 100 M&A transactions.
Prior to becoming CEO, he held several operational and divisional leadership roles within Halma for over a decade, and before that was a Project Management within the automotive electronics industry.
Andrew has previously served as a NED of Capita plc and Cardiff Rugby. He is a founding patron of the Welsh diaspora organisation, GlobalWelsh, and currently is also advising private equity companies.
Alison Thorne is from Penarth, has a commercial background in the retail sector as an Executive Director andat the time of her appointment as an Independent Non-Executive Directors (INED) of the WRU in June 2023, she was Chair of the National Dance Company Wales and Chair of Barcud Housing Association.
She is a former chair of leading equality charity Chwarae Teg and is the Lead in Wales for Women on Boards. Creating inclusive organisations is her core aim with insightful awareness of the challenges and opportunities in delivering diversity in thinking.
She holds a number of further current non-Exec roles including Board member at Sport Wales, Governor of Cardiff Metropolitan University, and is an independent panel member for Public Appointments for Welsh Government. Her love for rugby stems from her father, Tony Thorne, who was a groundsman at the former National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park in 1970s & 1980s.
Amanda Bennett, a former Welsh international who has played, coached and led women’s rugby over a stellar 40-year career, took up the new position of iNED with specific experience of the Women’s and Girls’ game at both professional and community levels in October 2023.
Bennett is a decorated former player with Saracen’s women, was Wales’ first women’s flyhalf in the inaugural 1987 side and is a veteran of two Rugby World Cups who later became head coach in 1998-2000.
Her achievements off the pitch are just as impressive as those on it, a former teacher she worked for UK Sport for a decade and has since established FairPlay Enterprises Ltd, advising on governance, leadership and EDI for the likes of the Premier League and all four home Unions. In 2021, respected around the globe as a leader in her field, she was asked to become a member of the independent panel which carried out a strategic review of the WRU Women’s Performance programme.
Former Wales international, Jamie Roberts, joined the WRU Board as an independent Non-Executive Director in October 2023.
Considered a Welsh rugby legend, Roberts gained 94 caps for Wales in a career which includes Grand Slam wins in 2008 and 2012, a Six Nations Championship title in 2013 and a RWC semi-final appearance in 2011. Roberts has also represented the British & Irish Lions on two tours in 2009, where he was voted Player of the Series, and the 2013 winning tour to Australia.
Roberts has also enjoyed success with Cardiff Rugby winning the European Challenge Cup in 2010 and he played at the region from 2006 to 2013. His playing career spanned 16 years in which he also featured for Racing Metro Paris, Harlequins, Bath Rugby, Western Stormers, Dragons RFC and New South Wales Waratahs.
Alongside his professional playing career Roberts completed a degree in Medicine from Cardiff University, gaining first class honors for an intercalated degree in Sport & Excercie Science (BSc) in 2013
He also sits on the Board of the Lions Trust and serves as a player representative on the World Rugby High-Performance Committee.
Since his retirement from international rugby, Roberts has become a well-known voice of Welsh rugby as a commentator for broadcasters including Sky, BT Sport, BBC, ITV, Amazon, and most recent at the Rugby World Cup for ITV.
The Director General for Customer Services at the Home Office joined the WRU as Chief Executive Officer in January, 2024.
Before joining the Civil Service, Tierney was a Business Development Director at Serco, where she also held a number of operational roles, including Regional Director and Chief Executive of Suffolk Community Services.
Prior to this, she was a Director at University Hospitals of Leicester and Aberdeen City Council and was previously Marketing Leader for IBM’s Global Services Business.
She has Welsh connections, as her father hails from Barry in South Wales, and she is a life long supporter of Welsh rugby.
Joined the Board in November 2021. He is also a District Council Member for District A, and current chair of the WRU Competitions Management Committee.
A former director, chairman and secretary at Risca RFC, Colin also served as director at the Dragons region for two years from 2021 – 2023.
Now retired, his business background was as a manager in both the mining, and steel industries, spanning both manufacturing and commercial sectors.
A former School Governor, he is a University of Glamorgan engineering graduate and holds a postgraduate degree in business administration from the University of Wales.
Joined the Board in 2018 and is now a District Council Member for District G.
A one club man, he was a founding member of Newcastle Emlyn and has been its Secretary since its formation in 1977.
He is a life member of the club as well as a past player, captain and coach.
He is a former coach to the Welsh Schools Intermediate (Under 16) international side.
He also chaired the Intermediate Group and the Schools Council.
He represented the Schools on the old WRU Committee.
Educated at Llandysul Grammar School and Loughborough Colleges, he taught PE for 35 years until his retirement in 2010.
Was appointed to the Board in March 2022, having been appointed to chair the Professional Rugby Board.
A former chair of Premiership Rugby side Harlequin F.C., Wall has extensive high level business experience including a range of high profile non-executive directorships and several chief executive (CEO), chief operating officer (COO) or managing director (MD) roles, across the media industry.
Also chair of three separate media companies – including dock10 Ltd, the Media City production facility and largest independent television studios in the UK, he was formally CEO and then advisor to the board at Abu Dhabi Media and most recently MD at Song Lin Ltd, before forming his own consultancy Malcolm Wall Media in 2013.
Wall has been Meridian Broadcasting deputy CEO, lead the multinational media company United Business Media as COO and was CEO, Content for Virgin Media LLC.
He has also run Virgin Media’s content business, including Virgin Media Television and was chairman of UKTV.
Was elected as a National Council Member in July 2020 and was re-elected in September 2021.
A former sergeant with South Wales Police, he was capped by Wales at youth level and toured South Africa in 1980.
He played for Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd but is a stalwart of Old Illtydians rugby club.
After retiring from the Police Service, he has continued to work as an assessor, lectures in law at the University of South Wales, is also artistic director at Tickledom Theatrical Productions and a director of learning at Credwch Ltd.
He was elected to the position of Community Game Board chair in November 2022 which saw him also join the WRU Board in place of outgoing WRU chair Rob Butcher.
Was elected as a National Council Member in September 2021.
An experienced Board Director and Technical Director working in the high profile food sector who has held Director positions on several international fresh produce companies, including G’s Fresh, one of the largest salad producers in the UK & Europe, and is the owner/director of 3i Technical Consulting.
A former Wales Women international, with 75 caps at second row, Claire played in two World Cups, and was a Saracens Women’s player for over 15 years. She is passionate about Women’s and Girls sport and ensuring there is access for all. She has also worked as a lobbyist translating the needs of the horticultural industry into government policy and as a government advisor.
Whilst in position at the WRU she has engaged with external stakeholders around many areas, including access to rugby for Women and Girls, Governance and improvement of facilities
She was a member of the all-party government working group on licencing of labour provision which lead to the Gangmasters (Licencing) Act 2004 (2003- 2004). This involved leading a diverse group of industry unions (T&GWU and the NFU) Charities (Ethical Trading Initiative) retailers and both sides of the Houses of Commons and Lords, influencing and advising in order to fundamentally change how seasonal workers are treated and protected
