Former Welsh Rugby Professional Rugby Board chair Amanda Blanc reiterates her belief she was “just not listened to” and that she received “misogynistic comments” during her time in office.
- Amanda Blanc retired from her PRB role in 2021 after less than two years
- The former president has reiterated her belief that “they just didn’t listen to her.”
- He also said that he received “misogynistic comments” during his time in the role.
The former chairwoman of Welsh Rugby’s Professional Rugby Board reiterated her belief she was “just not listened to” and that she received “misogynistic comments” during her time in office.
Amanda Blanc, who is the chief executive of Aviva and one of the UK’s most respected commercial operators, stepped down from her PRB role in 2021 after less than two years in the role.
At the time, no reason was given for Blanc’s departure. But she has since expressed her belief that her Welsh rugby teammates do not respect her because she is a woman.
The PRB is made up of veteran members of the Welsh Rugby Union and representatives of the country’s four professional teams. It is the highest decision-making body in Welsh rugby.
Blanc’s departure started a process that led other former WRU employees to speak out about a culture of sexism and misogyny in the governing body.
Amanda Blanc, chief executive of Aviva and one of the UK’s most respected commercial operators, stepped down from her role at PRB in 2021 after less than two years.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Blanc said: ‘I spent two years on the WRU board and I would say I am a reasonable businessman.
‘I’ve been in the business for a long period, but they just didn’t listen to me. There were some misogynistic comments. There was one that was ‘What do you know about governance?’
‘Well, actually a lot. I have 32 years of experience and operate in a regulated business. No one else was asked that question, but I was. I received a written apology for it.
Blanc had previously expressed shock at a senior WRU figure who reportedly said women should “know their place in the kitchen and stick to the griddle”.
Earlier this year, former WRU employee Charlotte Wathan revealed that a colleague had joked about raping her among a host of other allegations.
“I still genuinely feel, and I don’t say this very often, that if they had listened to me, we wouldn’t have had the situation that’s happened in recent weeks, particularly with regards to women’s football.” added White. ‘There was a women’s review that was carried out about the way women were treated very, very differently from men.
“I called for the women’s review to be made public and I called for the junta’s governance to be modernized. Neither of those two things have happened and now we find ourselves in the situation where many women have come forward to say they were mistreated.’
The former Welsh Rugby Professional Board chairperson reiterated her belief she was “just not listened to” and that she received “misogynistic comments”.
The WRU is attempting significant governance changes with plans to include more female representation on its board.
A vote on those changes will take place at an extraordinary general assembly on March 26.
Of her time at the WRU, Blanc said: “It left me deeply frustrated, very sad actually.
“But I’m hopeful that with the review that’s going on now, and I hope that they ask me to contribute to that review, there will be changes. It has to change.