Leigh Leopards make off-field appointment motivated by “pivotal times” due to IMG

Leigh Leopards have confirmed that Richard Renda has accepted an invitation to take on the role of Sales and Marketing non-executive director.

Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont said: “Good people with a ‘can do, will do’ mentality and a single-minded approach to delivering on time, every time are hard to come by and life has taught me that when you do you seize the opportunity.

“Meeting Richard at the Leigh Rotary Dragons Den event I instantly gained a respect for what he did in the community and how he handled that event with his concise and measured approach.

“This led me to engage him in quoting for the recreation of the Club’s new website and one I need for AB Sundecks. During that process Richard’s passion for the Club and willingness to deliver at all costs led to me engaging him in compiling the presentation for the relaunch.

“His work ethic was plain to see, and I instantly saw a good asset for the Club’s operational board, in addition to the commercial arrangements with his business. When discussing this with the rest of the board everyone had seen the same values and were unanimous in the decision to invite him to join the operational board, an invitation he accepted from Club Chairman Mike Latham.”

Richard Renda said: “I met Derek at a local Leigh Rotary event, where alongside Lady Smith, we were providing advice, guidance and financial support on behalf of the Rotary to local organisations and charities. Derek and I hit it off and have been in communication since, working together to communicate the Leigh Leopards launch and plans.

“Being able to support my local club as both a fan and a business has been great. It is even more so of a privilege and honour to have now been invited to support Leigh Leopards as a non-executive board member.

“As a new director within a very motivated and dedicated operations team, I can now work within the club, to further enhance and evolve the new brand and contribute to the future successes I’m positive the Leopards will achieve in the Betfred Super League.”

Club Chairman Mike Latham noted how the role of IMG makes these important times for the club when making decisions like this: “We are delighted to welcome Richard to the Club, where his wide-ranging skills will add value to the off-field team in many ways.

“These are pivotal times for the game with IMG’s involvement and our rebranded club looks forward to an exciting future. I know that as Richard is a Leigh born and bred person, he’ll be very proud of his appointment, and rightly so.

“Being able to contribute meaningfully to a club that means a lot to you personally and the town is an honour that isn’t accepted lightly. I know he’ll appreciate that and the responsibility it brings.”