RFU chief executive John Steele has overseen the recent changes at English rugby's governing body © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: John Steele

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The Rugby Football Union have continued their recent overhaul with the appointment of Sophie Goldschmidt as their new chief commercial officer.

Goldschmidt will join the RFU by mid-July from the National Basketball Association (NBA) where she is Senior Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa Operations. The CCO post at the RFU is a new role created as part of the restructure announced at the start of the year and Goldschmidt will take responsibility for all the union's commercial programmes for the sport in England.

In over four years in her current role, Goldschmidt spearheaded impressive growth that included bringing the NBA's first ever regular season games to Europe earlier this year. Prior to the NBA, Goldschmidt worked as adidas and also spent four years at the Women's Professional Tennis Association (WTA) ending up as Vice President of Marketing and Sponsorship.

Her appointment follows that of Rob Andrew who was recently appointed as RFU operations director after his role as elite rugby director was scrapped in the shake-up. Steve Grainger has also joined the organisation as development director while the recruitment process for the director of performance job, the highest-profile of the new roles, has been delayed by the lengthy interview process.

Commenting on the latest addition to his team, RFU chief executive John Steele commented, "We said in January that we would look to assemble a talented and experienced new executive team to help the RFU drive the next phase of growth and seize the opportunities offered by the Rugby World Cup in 2015 (RWC2015). Sophie will bring a new dynamic and innovation to our already successful commercial programme with her global and extensive experience and we look forward to welcoming her to the team."

Following her appointment, Goldschmidt added, "I am thrilled to be joining the RFU at this exciting time for the sport in England and globally. Under John Steele's leadership it is clear the union is committed to ensuring it is in the best possible shape for the RWC 2015 and beyond. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution so that the game of rugby enjoys a long-lasting commercial and grassroots legacy."