He replaces Ian Ritchie, who left the All England Club in February after six years to become chief executive of the Rugby Football Union.

Lewis, 57, will leave the RFL at the end of April after a decade in charge of the organisation but he will continue in his position as chair of Sport England, a role he took up on a part-time basis three years ago.

The move is no major surprise as Lewis was formerly an international tennis player that reached a career high world ranking of 68, while he represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup from 1977 to 1983, reaching the semi-final of the competition in 1981.

Lewis also served as the director of tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from 1998 to 2000 before joining the RFL.

"I am delighted to be taking up the role of chief executive at the All England Club," said Lewis, who will officially take up his new post on May 1 this year.

"As a former tennis professional, the prospect of helping shape the future of the club and the premier tennis tournament in the world is one to be relished.

"I leave the RFL after ten fulfilling years during which the sport has grown and prospered.

"I am extremely grateful to all the colleagues with whom I have had the privilege to work.

"I shall enjoy continuing my role at Sport England albeit with less time commitment."

Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club, welcomed the addition of Lewis to help guide the organisation moving forward.

"We had a very strong field of candidates and, in Richard, we have the person with the right blend of sporting background and management skill and experience to ensure that the All England Club and The Championships continue to go from strength to strength," Brook said.


With the departure of Lewis from the RFL Maurice Watkins (pictured), the leading sports lawyer and Manchester United director, steps up from his role as senior non-executive director of the RFL to become its interim chairman.

"We are indebted to Richard for the huge contribution he has made to rugby league over the past 10 years and we wish him every success in his new role," Watkins said.

"Whilst tough economic conditions are proving challenging for all sports clubs at present, we believe this is a great moment for someone to come in and help shape the future of a very successful sport."

In total, Lewis has been involved in top level sport for over thirty years with one of his key roles coming at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games where he was manager of the British tennis team.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
February 2012: Ian Ritchie named as new RFU chief executive