David McMillan joins Scottish Rugby Board

Scottish Rugby has today announced the appointment of David McMillan to its Board as an independent non-executive director, with effect from March 1 2017.

David McMillan has spent the last 15 years with insurance firm Aviva plc, rising to become Chairman, Global Healthcare and CEO, Europe and India in 2013.

The vacancy on the Scottish Rugby Board arose following the appointment of Colin Grassie, an existing independent non-executive director, as Scottish Rugby’s new Chairman in January 2017, succeeding Sir Moir Lockhead who stepped down at the end of December 2016 after five years at the helm.

David McMillan, who is based in Edinburgh, held several senior roles at Aviva including both COO and CEO for UK & Ireland.

A Chartered Management Accountant, the 51-year-old has an MBA from the University of Chicago and started his career with Hewlett Packard before spending nine years in management consultancy at PwC.

Scottish Rugby Chairman Colin Grassie said: “We are delighted to welcome David onto the Scottish Rugby Board at this pivotal moment of the sport’s development in Scotland.

We were looking for someone with international experience, strategic thinking and who obviously had a passion for the game. David is an outstanding candidate who meets all of these criteria.”

“We were incredibly impressed with the calibre of candidates who were interested in this position. This reflects very positively on Scottish Rugby’s improved performance over recent years and our drive to develop rugby further in Scotland.”

David McMillan commented: “I am delighted to be invited to join Scottish Rugby’s Board and I am looking forward to contributing to the work already being done to develop the game in Scotland, support the national and professional teams and promote Scottish Rugby’s international reputation.”

Scottish Rugby CEO Mark Dodson said: “We have set ourselves an ambitious but achievable target of generating significant external investment to secure the future of our game in Scotland. It is therefore vital we have a strong Board and Council to help navigate the challenges ahead and provide the necessary guidance and support as we progress.”

“David brings a wealth of experience to our Board and I am very much looking forward to working with him.”

Willie Finlayson of FWB Park Brown commented “we were delighted to advise Scottish Rugby on this key appointment and wish both parties every success with it, most immediately for the rest of the 6 Nations Championship”.