The R&A has wasted little time in appointing a successor to Martin Slumbers.
Mark Darbon has been named the chief executive of the governing body, the R&A announced Monday. Darbon comes to the R&A, which oversees the game worldwide except for in the U.S. and Mexico, from rugby’s Northampton Saints, where he was CEO of the England-based team.
In January, Slumbers, 63, announced his resignation effective by the end of the year. He has served for nine years in the job.
In addition to his role with the R&A, which runs the Open Championship and the AIG Women’s Open among other professional and amateur tournaments, Darbon will serve as secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Last month, the 45-year-old Darbon led Northampton to its first title in the Premiership division, the top level of English rugby. He was a former senior member of the team that led the London Organizing Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games andParalympic Games.
“I am thrilled and honored to be taking up these positions with the R&A and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and tobe moving into golf, a sport I have always loved,” Darbon said. “The R&A is a globally renowned organization and does so much to ensure that golf prospers from grassroots through to the professional game. I am looking forward to working with a hugely talented team of staff, the club membership and such an impressive array of partner organizations to achieve even more success in the years to come.”
Said R&A chairman Niall Farquharson: “We were greatly impressed with Mark’s knowledge and experience of the global sport industry and his ability to develop successful teams and deliver fantastic events. We believe he will be an excellent leader for the R&A and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and will play a key role in helping us to achieve our goal of ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for golf.”
Darbon, an Oxford University graduate, plays to a 3.1 Handicap Index as a member of Northamptonshire County Golf Club and Saunton Golf Club in England. He also was a competitive hockey player. Darbon, who is married and has two children, intends to move his family to St. Andrews soon, the R&A said.