The chief executive of Scottish Rugby has been sacked with immediate effect following an investigation into his conduct.
Daily Mail Sport understands that Alex Williamson lost the confidence of the organisation after being involved in an inappropriate and undisclosed relationship with a more junior employee, which was reported to the Scottish Rugby board.
In a statement, Scottish Rugby chairman John McGuigan said: ‘The board of Scottish Rugby has today dismissed Alex Williamson from his position as chief executive with immediate effect. His dismissal follows the conclusion of an independent investigation into matters that were brought to the board’s attention earlier this year.
‘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.’
Williamson, who was brought into the organisation in January 2025 was put on ‘extended leave’ by Scottish Rugby in May, although the reasons for his suspension were never disclosed.
The 52 year old, who was CEO at House of Fraser when it went into administration in 2018, was also the chief executive of Inspiring Learning, a company which provided training and development for children and adults. It too fell into administration shortly after he began his role with Scottish Rugby.
Williamson was put on ‘extended leave’ back in May but has now been axed by Scottish Rugby
A qualified accountant, Williamson had been tasked with reducing costs at the organisation after previous losses spiralled to almost £10million, but his time at Scottish Rugby was not without controversy.
Last year he invoked the wrath of a number of the Scotland women’s team following issues over contracts. The CEO refused to apologise after several players were left in the dark as to whether their deals would be renewed following the tournament in 2025.
A number of players had concerns over their ability to play for Scotland on an ad-hoc basis, with job security and financial worries an issue.
Captain Rachael Malcolm said players had been put in an ‘unfair’ position ahead of the World Cup, with off-field issues threatening to disrupt their preparations. Not knowing whether they would have a deal post-tournament, she insisted, had been ‘very disruptive’.
At the end of Scotland’s quarter-final defeat by England, meanwhile, forward Jade Konkel said that ‘getting bombshells dropped on them right before a World Cup was not the best prep’ and stated that Scottish Rugby had ‘made our build up to this really challenging both mentally and emotionally’. Pointedly, she noted that Williamson had had but a ‘six-minute conversation’ over her contract, despite 13 years of service.
It’s understood that David White, currently chief financial officer at Scottish Rugby, will step into Williamson’s role on an interim basis until his replacement is found.
