FIRST BIG MOVE BY NEW CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS

TWO  WOMEN JOIN EUROPEAN TOUR 

BOARD: PLEASE WELCOME JUTTA, SOPHIE

Picture by courtesy of European Tour

Jutta af Rosenborg, left, and Sophie Goldschmidt have been named to the European Tour board as non-executive directors.

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
By ALISTAIR TAIT
Could the appointment of two women as non-executive directors to the European Tour board herald a radical shake-up of the world’s second-best professional tour? 
That will be the speculation that greets the appointment of Jutta af Rosenborg and Sophie Goldschmidt.
They make history by becoming the first two women to sit on the European Tour board.
Rosenborg brings financial experience, having held senior positions at a number of FTSE and NASDAQ listed companies including Aberdeen Asset Management, Auriga Industries, ALK-Abello and Carnegie Worldwide Investment Funds. She has an MSc in Business Economics and Auditing from Copenhagen Business School and will chair the audit committee.
Goldschmidt is currently the chief commercial and marketing officer for the Rugby Football Union and is also a member of the management board. She also sits as a non-executive director on the Youth Sport Trust board.
The news comes as the European Tour enters a crucial stage in it’s 39-year-history. The Tour is in the midst of a strategic review, and is also seeking a replacement for outgoing chief executive George O’Grady.
It is the first big move made by new chairman David Williams, who became the first chairman in the tour’s history to come from a non-golf background. Williams, who spent 35 years working for blue-chip companies such as Pepsi and Diageo, took over his post on Jan. 1 this year.
“I am delighted to welcome both Sophie Goldschmidt and Jutta af Rosenborg to the board of the European Tour,” Williams said. “Their appointment as Non-Executive Directors supports our strategy of broadening and increasing the skills and experience at the heart of the business at a time when golf is changing.”
The appointments will please those who want to see a radical overhaul of the European Tour leadership. Many want to see someone with considerable commercial experience step into O’Grady’s shoes. They also want to see a clear out of many of the top brass underneath O’Grady.
One prominent player-manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, recently told Golfweek that the next person had to come from outside the tour.
“It has to be someone from the commercial world with experience of putting together big business deals,” the source said. “I don’t see anyone from inside who is capable of taking over George’s position. If it is someone from the inside, then it will be a backward step. It’s a huge opportunity for the tour and they need to get this appointment right. They’ll have to pay a big salary, probably in the region of £500,000, to get the right person but so what if they can get someone who delivers.”
Guy Kinnings, global head of golf for IMG, has been linked with the job. Kinnings has refused to make any public statements on the matter, but Golfweek’s source said Kinnings has told the European Tour he isn’t interested in the job.