Can Rosie Williams play hard ball and save British Eventing?

A few weeks ago I wrote to my MP, along with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pointing out the inconsistency in British Equestrian selecting Bates Saddles, an Australian Company with their manufacturing based in Vietnam, as their "Official Saddle Partner". There are, after all, plenty of excellent British Saddle manufacturers who could have filled the role.

Ironic then that while I wait for news of any response from British Equestrian to my enquiry, tonight we read that the British equestrian world is about to enjoy another Australian import in the form of Rosie Williams OBE, who will take over as the new Chief Executive Officer of British Eventing from mid-September.

Now it is important to realise that this is Rosie Williams, currently CEO of Softball Australia and not Rosie Williams of Love Island fame (softball is like baseball only different). From what I heard on the Softball Australia social media our Rosie certainly talks a good job and we have to hope she can turn words into action and make British Eventing "a world leader again".

We wish her well! 

   

Rosie Williams OBE
Softball Australia social media

British Eventing's statement:-

With a distinguished career spanning several decades in the sports industry, Rosie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position. Her achievements and exceptional leadership skills make her the ideal candidate to lead British Eventing into the next era of growth and success. Rosie’s first national governing body role was as National Sports Manager for the Australian Equestrian Federation, a role which gave her a real appreciation for equestrian sport.  Most of her career has been spent in the sport of Rugby.  Rosie spent 10 years as CEO of the Rugby Football Union for Women in England, delivering such outstanding success in the development of the sport that she was awarded an OBE for her contribution to Rugby.

Rosie fully understands the challenges of running major events.  She took on the role of Tournament Director of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010, delivering a world class athlete centred event that had a hugely positive effect on the profile of women’s rugby worldwide. Running her own consultancy business for several years gave her broad exposure to highly commercial environments. In early 2022 Rosie took up the role of CEO of Softball Australia, implementing a major change management programme transforming the organisation’s financial management, strategic direction, and operational process.

Rosie has established herself as a respected figure in the sports world. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the sporting landscape. Her passion for equestrian sports started early; growing up in New South Wales, Australia, Rosie competed in several equestrian disciplines include eventing, show jumping, dressage, and polocrosse.

As the newly appointed CEO, Rosie will be responsible for overseeing all strategic and operational aspects of British Eventing. Her primary focus will be to foster the continued development of eventing, promote inclusivity within the sport and enhance the overall experience for participants and spectators alike, alongside an improved value proposition to members.

Commenting on her appointment, Rosie said “I am thrilled and honoured to join British Eventing as CEO. Eventing holds a special place in my heart and I am excited to contribute to the growth and success of this incredible sport. I am committed to working closely with the talented team at British Eventing, as well as the broader eventing community to ensure that our athletes, horses and all stakeholders have the best possible experience.”

Mark Sartori, Chairman of British Eventing, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the appointment, stating  “We are delighted that Rosie is joining BE as she brings successful CEO and national governing body (NGB)  experience to BE. Eventing, along with all Equestrian sports faces challenges and we need a highly experienced CEO as we continue our 3 year re-structuring plan. It is vital that we unite all our stakeholders and Rosie has huge experience across a number of businesses, sports and different stakeholders. Running a NGB is not an easy role and the Board agreed that we needed someone who had a proven track record both as a CEO and working within a NGB and thus we are delighted that Rosie will be starting in September.

On behalf of all at BE we ask all our stakeholders to continue to support the sport we love and help Rosie and the team over the exciting years ahead. I am personally very positive for the future as we continue to make the changes that will allow BE to not only be sustainable but thrive and become a world leader again.”