Pro12 appoints RTÉ executive as commercial director

The Pro12 pan-European rugby union club competition has appointed Dermot Rigley as its new commercial director.

Rigley will join Pro12 from Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ, where he served as commercial head of sport across television, radio and digital. The 40-year-old will assume his new role on January 9.

While at RTÉ, Rigley helped the broadcaster acquire rights for the Olympic Games, football’s Uefa Champions League and Fifa World Cup, rugby union’s Six Nations and golf’s European Tour, as well as championships from Ireland’s Gaelic Athletic Association.

RTÉ Sport recorded an increase in commercial revenue with Rigley at the helm, while he also played a key role in expanding the operator’s digital coverage across online platforms and helped the broadcaster secure global sports sponsorships.

Rigley previously worked for UK pay-television broadcaster Sky and the Zenith Optimedia agency.