A Q&A with Leicester Tigers CEO, Andrea Pinchen

DMU is delighted to welcome Leicester Tigers CEO Andrea Pinchen to the campus for a Q&A with our Vice-Chancellor Prof Katie Normington.

Leicester Tigers are a powerhouse of rugby union with a reputation as one of the best supported and most successful clubs in the world.

Join Andrea and Prof Normington on Wednesday 22 November at 7pm for an hour-long talk on the themes of female leadership, women and girls in sport and how to get to the top of your game. There will also, no doubt, be time to discuss the hugely successful 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Andrea joined Leicester Tigers in 2004, initially with responsibility for revenues in season tickets and match tickets.

She was appointed commercial manager in 2012 with additional responsibility for sponsorship and corporate hospitality and was instrumental in the growth of the business and in securing agreements with key sponsors.

Andrea joined the Board as Commercial Director in September 2014 and then became Chief Operating Officer, before being appointed Chief Executive in May 2020.

She said: “I am incredibly passionate about ensuring all young women know about the many incredible opportunities there are out there for them in sport, on and off the field.

“You can’t be what you can’t see and so it’s vital that young girls, and boys too, are aware of all the paths available to them in life.

“Whatever your sport of passion is and field of work within the game, there are so many great things women – and men – can be a part of and contribute towards within a bigger team.”

Tigers have won the European Cup twice, lifted seven domestic cups and, since the Premiership was formed in 1997, been champions six times – most recently in the 2021/22 season under Andrea’s watch.

Tigers were also able to claim a huge influence on the destiny of the Rugby World Cup in 2003, with then captain Martin Johnson lifting the trophy for England and five other players appearing in the starting squad. Former Tiger Sir Clive Woodward was also the victorious head coach.

The event comes at the end of a conference run by DMU’s prestigious International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) called ‘From Leicester to the Rugby World Cup’.

The conference will mark the 200th anniversary of the sport’s invention at Rugby School in Warwickshire when, legend has it, pupil William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a school football match in 1823 and, therefore, created the “rugby” style of play.

The Rugby World Cup winner’s trophy is called the Webb Ellis Trophy to commemorate the founder, who was born on 24 November 1806.

Ticket sales will close 1 hour before the event starts.

Please contact the DMU Events Office on [email protected] if you have any questions.

Host or Publisher De Montfort University