The Rugby League European Federation has appointed Richard Graham (right) and Christen Farmer to its Board of Directors, taking the total around the table to six. Graham, a senior executive within the professional sports sector and Farmer, a business and media consultant based in Belgrade, join Chairman Richard Lewis, Vice Chair Nicolas Larrat and fellow Directors Graeme Thompson and Nebojsa Sretenovic.
Richard Lewis is convinced that the wealth of experience and expertise that the pair bring to the organisation can greatly assist in the continued growth of the sport throughout the continent. “I am delighted that the RLEF has added two new high quality independent directors to the Board,” he said. “It is a very positive sign of how the Federation is growing as an organisation. Richard and Christen’s extensive and wide-ranging knowledge and skill not only adds to our corporate governance but also demonstrates our ambition for the future.”
Christen Farmer, an American citizen resident in Serbia, is an expert in strategic and corporate communications, PR, government and media relations, lobbying and business training and management. “I firmly believe that rugby league has established itself as part of the great tradition of European sport,” he commented as he joined his colleagues in a video conference for the first time. “I look forward to serving on the board of the RLEF and doing my part to advance the high standards and values of the sport. I feel very proud and privileged to be part of this effort and will do my utmost to be worthy of the appointment.”
Among Richard Graham’s previous employers are the Lawn Tennis Association, British Equestrian Association, the Professional Squash Association and the British Amateur Boxing Association. He is equally keen to get started in his new role. "The fervour and passion with which rugby league is followed bears testament to its qualities as a vibrant and exciting sport,” he noted. “The time is ripe for taking the sport in to new territories and introducing it to a new generation of followers and players. It is a project with which I am proud to be involved.”
In addition, Paris-based Gilles Estay has been invited to sit as an advisor to the Board on media and commercial issues having worked in senior roles at such as Canal +, Eurosport and PathéSport. Richard Lewis continued, “The addition of Gilles as a special advisor will help strengthen the breadth of experience available to the executives.”