Dame Patsy Reddy has become the first female chairperson of New Zealand Rugby after Stewart Mitchell stepped down.
It was announced by NZ Rugby this afternoon that Mitchell, appointed in May last year, will step down early from his tenure after nine years on the board.
Current NZ Rugby directors Professor Farah Palmer and Bailey Mackey have been elected as Dame Patsy’s joint deputy chairs.
She was elected chair at NZR’s final board meeting of the year in Auckland today.
“It is an absolute honour to be elected to the position of chair at such a pivotal and exciting moment for rugby in Aotearoa,” Dame Patsy said.
“I would like to thank Stewart for his long service to the board and his leadership over the past two years as chair. He has left rugby in a strong position to grasp the opportunities in front of us and with a diverse and skilled board I could not be more excited about the challenges ahead.”
Dame Patsy, a lawyer, director and Crown negotiator before serving as New Zealand’s Governor General from 2016 to 2021, was appointed to the NZR board in April this year.
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