Sophie Goldschmidt took up her role as group managing director at CSM Sport & Entertainment at the end of 2015 having previously been chief commercial and marketing officer at the Rugby Football Union, a role which was created for her as part of the organisation’s 2011 restructure. She was responsible for a range of activities in her previous role, including sponsorship and retail in the run up to the Rugby World Cup in England and Wales last year. In 2013 the Union implemented a CRM platform to better understand its fans and encourage member clubs to create integrated marketing campaigns across retail and corporate hospitality. A consummate sports marketer, Goldschmidt was appointed a non-executive director of The PGA European Tour in January 2015 and also sits as non-executive director on the Youth Sport Trust board. Prior to joining the RFU she was senior vice-president for EMEA at National Basketball Association.