Scottish Rugby has dismissed chief executive Alex Williamson with immediate effect after an independent investigation into his conduct, ending an 18-month reign at Murrayfield that had begun with the governing body finally clawing its way back towards profitability.
Williamson, 52, was placed on a "period of extended leave" on 23 May with no explanation given at the time. The inquiry that followed was led by a senior lawyer, and the Scotsman reported that its findings convinced the Murrayfield board that his position was untenable. Both STV News and the Scotsman understand the matter concerned an undisclosed relationship with a Scottish Rugby employee.
John McGuigan, chair of Scottish Rugby Limited, confirmed the decision in a statement on Thursday.
"The board of Scottish Rugby has today dismissed Alex Williamson from his position as chief executive with immediate effect," McGuigan said.
"His dismissal follows the conclusion of an independent investigation into matters that were brought to the board's attention earlier this year."
McGuigan was blunt about the reason. "In light of the investigation findings, the board of Scottish Rugby concluded that the CEO's conduct had fallen significantly below the standards we set as an organisation."
Chief financial officer David White takes over as interim chief executive while the search for a permanent replacement begins.
The timing is awkward. Scotland are 15 months out from the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the union is now onto its third leadership arrangement in under two years.
Williamson arrived from an unusual background for a rugby administrator. He had run the Goodwood Estate, served as chief executive of House of Fraser, and joined Scottish Rugby from Inspiring Learning, a training and development business. He was appointed in September 2024 as successor to Mark Dodson and took office the following January.
His brief was financial repair. Dodson had left the balance sheet in poor shape, and Williamson set a public target of pushing revenue past 100 million pounds. The last annual report, published in November 2025, showed a loss of 3.68 million pounds for the year to 30 June 2025 against record revenues of 79.4 million pounds — a substantially reduced deficit, with the union on course to return to the black next year.
He also settled the coaching structure. Gregor Townsend was handed a new contract extending his tenure beyond the 2027 World Cup, and fresh deals went to Franco Smith at Glasgow Warriors and Sean Everitt at Edinburgh. Those are the decisions that outlast him.
What Scottish Rugby has not done is explain the conduct itself. The statement runs to three sentences and names no findings, which leaves the detail to be filled in by reporting from STV and the Scotsman rather than by the governing body. For a union that spent the Dodson years fighting accusations of opacity — over executive pay, over governance reform — that reticence will be noticed by the clubs.
White inherits a body in reasonable financial health and poor institutional shape. The recruitment process starts now.
