Leeds Rhinos appoint the first female director in the club's 130-year history

LEEDS RHINOS have appointed the first female director in the club’s 130-year history.
Leeds Rhinos new operations director Sue Ward with chief executive Gary Hetherington.Leeds Rhinos new operations director Sue Ward with chief executive Gary Hetherington.
Leeds Rhinos new operations director Sue Ward with chief executive Gary Hetherington.

Sue Ward has become operations director - a newly-created position - with Leeds CF&A Co Ltd, the company which owns Rhinos and the rugby stadium at Emerald Headingley.

Ward, 55 - daughter of former Hunslet captain and coach Fred Ward - originally joined Rhinos as a consultant in 2005 and has been head of stadium operations for several years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said: “I am privileged and proud to be part of the full board at Leeds CF&A Co Ltd and to be the first woman to join the board.

“However, I do not feel it matters whether you are male or female and it is down to hard work and completing the task in hand.

“I think there is room for diversity in all boardrooms and that can only strengthen any business.”

Ward added: “I am originally from Castleford and had a lifelong interest in rugby league.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I left school at 16 and started work at the bank and have worked hard to get where I am making the most of the opportunities and training I have been offered.

“My previous background was in leadership and finance, I had a great career at Barclays spending over 20 years there, including working for Barclays stock exchange in London before returning to Leeds in 1991.

“That experience has given me lots of transferable skills which have really benefited me during my time at the club.”

Of her new duties, Ward revealed: “My role now is to ensure that everything runs as best as it possibly can.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“In practical terms, that means from a health and safety and legislation point of view to enable the stadium to operate, whether that is repairs or maintenance and ensuring that we meet all legal and minimum standards for our governing bodies.

“A huge part of my role has been a four year project to redevelop the stadium which has been an amazing honour.

“For the last two years, we have been working on a construction site with our partners at Caddick’s to create this incredible venue.

“It was the most challenging project I have been involved in during my career but definitely the most rewarding.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In another move, Nigel Chambers has become the club’s new finance director, having been head of finance since 2004.

Chambers, 48, is originally from Ripon and a long-term Rhinos fan.

“It is a honour to be appointed to the board and something you aspire to when you have been at a company for a long period of time,” he said.

“To be respected by my peers and the existing board is a privilege.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chambers has been part of a huge overhaul of the business during the past two decades.

He recalled: “The business has changed significantly during my time here.

“The redevelopments of the stands is an obvious one, but the addition of different income streams and the complex nature of running a professional sports team in the salary cap era is a huge undertaking.

“I have particularly enjoyed, in the last two years, working with Kevin Sinfield to restructure our rugby department and I know we are starting to see the fruits of that on the field now.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Professional sport, whether it is rugby of either code or football, is a challenge for finance directors because of the unpredictability long term and the short term impact on cash flow with a fixture list.”

He added: “With that in mind, I think we owe a massive debt of gratitude to my predecessor as finance director, Peter Hirst.

“Peter has overseen an unprecedented period of financial success for the club when we have made a profit in 16 of the last 19 years, unheard of in professional sport these days.

“That has been done through prudent budgeting and financial control and it is important that we are keeping Peter’s knowledge and experience as he remains a board member.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.