Governance Policy

The Board of Saracens Group Holdings Ltd (‘SGH’ or ‘the Group’) recognises that strong Governance is vital to fulfilling our purpose of ‘enriching lives through sport and entertainment’. We adhere to leading Governance practices appropriate to the size and scope of our business, which include having: a clear vision and strategy to deliver it; robust risk management; an emphasis on complying with regulatory requirements; a comprehensive financial controls framework; and optimised business processes and systems.

The Board

Appointed by the primary owners of SGH, Kimono House Ltd and Euroblue Ltd, the Board meets its responsibilities of steering and controlling the Group in line with our purpose and to the long-term benefit of all stakeholders, as well as complying with the law, codes of governance and regulations of the sports in which we compete. The Board also leads the way in safeguarding our culture, behaving in line with our corporate values: discipline, honesty, humility and work rate. Guided by ambitions for community engagement and wellbeing, we agree annually with our major shareholders our Group goals, including financial plans, which are aimed at sustaining long-term corporate success.

Financial results and progress against Group goals are reported quarterly to the two primary shareholders

The Board meets at a minimum four times a year.

We review regularly our effectiveness as a Board in meeting these responsibilities, in line with the Governance structure below.

Board committees

Support to the Board is provided by two committees which cover:

Audit & Risk, which advises the Board on accounting policies, risk management and internal controls. It also oversees the Groups relationship with external auditors.                                                                                

Salary Cap, which oversees the Groups compliance with the salary cap regulations for Premiership Rugby and Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Subsidiaries and Affiliated entities

SGH controls the direction and activities of its subsidiary Saracens Limited by including as its Board a controlling sub-group of the Group Board of Directors. As a Limited Liability Partnership, the subsidiary Saracens Copthall LLP is directed by its member SGH and managed through the authority delegated to the Group CEO.

Saracens Foundation is an independent charity which works in parallel with consistent goals to SGH. Strategies and activities are coordinated between the two entities.

Saracens Multi-Academy Trust, which owns Saracens High School, Saracens Bell Lane and Broadfields Primary schools is a company limited by guarantee which carries the Saracens brand and aligns with SGH values. It is an independent entity from SGH and operates its own Governance regime. However, it is connected by some SGH Board members having executive or Trustee roles in the Academy.

Executive management

The SGH Board delegates powers to the Group CEO to execute Board strategy and policy, for which it is accountable, in accordance with our formal ‘Delegation of Authority’ regime. Our policies and procedures are detailed in or linked through to our Employee Handbook to guide staff and volunteers on our expectations of their behaviour and performance and to state what they can expect from the Group.

Goals and controls

In order to unify the activities of SGH employees and volunteers and to focus their efforts on corporate priorities, a cascade of group goals and departmental objectives is established annually, and achievements monitored and reported quarterly. These include financial budgets.

A system of identification and reporting of risks to the achievement of these goals and our longer-term purpose is in operation, whereby based on the maintenance of a ‘risk register’ by the executive, the Group Audit & Risk Committee (GARC) reviews the likelihood and potential impact of such risks and ensures that appropriate mitigating controls and actions are in place. GARC presents its Risk Report to the SGH Board quarterly. Presentations are made to staff regularly to ensure that there’s a culture of risk awareness throughout.