Scottish Rugby CEO Mark Dodson to step down as decision taken to end contract early

SRU chief will depart role in summer – one year before deal was due to expire

Scottish Rugby Chief Executive Mark Dodson has announced he is to stand down in the summer - a year before his contract was due to expire. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Mark Dodson is to step down early from his role as chief executive of Scottish Rugby.

He will vacate office this summer, a year before his contract is due to expire. The surprise announcement will bring to an end his 13-year tenure running the game in Scotland.

He said he reflected on his position after the Rugby World Cup and felt it was the right time to go. The governing body has recently gone through a period of major transition, with an overhaul of its governance structure and the appointment of John McGuigan, the proactive new chair of the Scottish Rugby Limited Board.

It means Scottish Rugby are now looking for two key players at the top of the sport. As well as chief executive, there is also a vacancy for a performance director following the announcement that Jim Mallinder will also step down in June this year. The announcements come amid criticism of the lack of native Scottish talent coming through the system. The under-20 team, seen by the SRU as the main “pipeline” for supplying the senior squad, has all but dried up, with national coach Gregor Townsend expressing disquiet earlier this year that no player has made the transition from U20s to the full Scotland team in four years.

Scotland men are currently ranked sixth in the world but they failed to qualify from their group at last year’s World Cup, the second time in a row this has happened. The women’s national side has made significant progress recently, winning the WXV2 tournament in South Africa last year and qualifying for the World Cup.

Dodson steered the union through arguably its most challenging period as the global pandemic shut the game down below elite level and kept supporters away for the entirety of the 2020-21 season. But his reign has often been controversial. Scottish Rugby apologised "wholeheartedly" last November and after saying it had let down the family of former international Siobhan Cattigan.

Cattigan died in November 2021, with her family saying undetected rugby-related brain damage caused a "catastrophic decline" in the 26-year-old's health and led to her death.

It took the appointment of McGuigan for the SRU to handle the situation in the appropriate manner. McGuigan said the governing body "should have managed this tragic situation better" and "take responsibility" for the handling of "certain elements surrounding Siobhan's funeral".

Dodson, whose contract had been extended through to June 2025, decided the time was right to step aside early.

“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 said.

“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.”

McGuigan said: “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. I’d like to thank him personally for working with me and welcoming me into Scottish Rugby.

“The SRL Board and I will continue to draw on Mark’s extensive knowledge and expertise in the coming months until a date for Mark’s departure, which will be over the summer, is agreed.”

Dodson joined Scottish Rugby from the Guardian Media Group on the eve of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.