The Welsh Rugby Union has named former retail company B&Q CEO Martyn Phillips to succeed Roger Lewis as CEO, according to the BBC. Lewis was appointed in '06 and is to leave his role after the 2015 World Cup to take over at Cardiff Airport. Phillips, 46, has "strong personal rugby links," describing himself as a "diehard Welsh rugby fan." He has also run leadership programs for academy directors of Aviva Premiership clubs. Phillips wants to build on that, "but also strengthen the grassroots of the game in Wales." He said, "The game is changing, there are areas we need to improve on and get better" (BBC, 7/7). In Cardiff, Alex Bywater reported Phillips said that his work "begins immediately." He will not take over from Lewis until October. Phillips: "Although I will not take up my appointment until the autumn, the work starts immediately. I will use the summer to meet some key people in order to hit the ground running in this pivotal role within the governing body." He was previously CEO of £4B ($6.1B) home improvement retailer B&Q, which employees 33,000 people across its U.K. stores. During his time at the company, its profit "almost trebled" to £238M ($365.5M) (WALES ONLINE, 7/7). In London, Paul Rees reported the WRU has been accused of "being elitist" but Phillips said that he would "spend the months before he takes up his position in Cardiff speaking to those involved in the game at all levels." Phillips: "It is all about looking to the future, not back to the past, and my style is to listen and build up working relationships. I know there will be some thorny issues but I am big on reaching agreements and giving people a lot of space" (GUARDIAN, 7/7).
