School alumnus appointed to deliver the Rugby League Varsity Match
A Cambridge Judge Business School alumnus who runs his own public affairs consultancy has been appointed by the Oxford and Cambridge University rugby league clubs to deliver the annual Rugby League Varsity Match.
Mark Ramsdale, who completed an MPhil in Technology Policy in 2008, has been working as an independent public affairs and policy consultant, specialising in both the technology and sports sectors. He recently formed three distinct brands to provide specific expertise, with MR Sport providing services to sports governing bodies, as well as organisations with an interest in sport.
The three-year contract with the clubs will start in 2013 and MR Sport will be responsible for developing and raising the profile of the Varsity Match so it becomes a distinctive event in the rugby league calendar and also gives both clubs the opportunity to focus their priorities on the match itself.
Mark commented:
Having played at Cambridge, I’m thrilled to have been awarded delivery of the Rugby League Varsity Match. Varsity matches have a special place in sport, none more so than rugby league. There is great potential for the game to promote the sport to a wider audience, not only to students at Oxford and Cambridge, but also to Oxbridge alumni and friends of the two institutions.
Our intention over the coming years is to cement the Varsity Match in the sporting calendar and look to new ways the game can be developed at the two universities. I’m particularly keen to work with broader commercial partners who have an interest in Oxford and Cambridge to see how we might work together.”
The 2013 Rugby League Varsity Match will be the 33rd played between Oxford and Cambridge and Mark is very keen to take the game to the next level. Cambridge is currently in the lead with 16 victories, but Oxford has won five out of the last six encounters.
Mark has 10 years’ experience as a public affairs and government relations practitioner in Whitehall and Westminster, including positions within Parliament, Royal Societies, and government bodies. He has degrees in mechanical engineering and technology policy from Imperial College and Cambridge, as well as a diploma in public relations. He has worked for Members of Parliament, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Learning and Skills Council and the Chartered Institute of PR. Mark is a Freeman of the Public Relations Guild, a Member of the PRCA and the PCG. He sits on the Council of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Alumni Council of Cambridge Judge Business School.