“I am grateful to have had the honor” - CEO Martin Slumbers announces departure from R&A at end of 2024

Martin Slumbers has been one of the most influential people in the world of golf over the last decade. His tenure as the head of the R&A has been very successful and he himself acknowledges it as a privilege.

The current CEO of the European side of governing bodies announced his decision to end his tenure at the end of the 2024 season on Wednesday, January 10 via the official website of the R&A.

According to the statement, Martin Slumbers said he was "proud" of his time as CEO of The R&A and Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. This is what Slumbers said (via Golfweek):

"It has been a privilege to serve golf at the highest level. It is a role that I have been proud to carry out on behalf of The R&A’s employees, the members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club and all our global partners."

"In any career, there is a time to allow the next generation to have its turn. I am grateful to have had the honor, for nearly a decade, to have been the custodian of all that The R&A and the game of golf more broadly represents," he added.

In his final season at the helm of the British governing body, Martin Slumbers will oversee The Open Championship at Royal Troon, the AIG Women's Open at St. Andrews and the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale.

---

Exploring more about Martin Slumbers

Martin Slumbers was born in Brighton, England and studied at Lancing College. Subsequently, he obtained a BSc in Production Engineering and Economics from the University of Birmingham.

He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London and began a career in investment banking. He worked for Salomon Brothers International, becoming Chief Financial Officer in Asia and then Europe.

In 1998 he joined Deutsche Bank, where he held several important positions. He was promoted to Global Head of Deutsche Bank's Investment Banking Operations in 2006 and to Global Head of Global Business Services in 2007.

Slumbers was appointed CEO of the R&A and Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 2015. His first endeavor was to incorporate strategic planning into the organization's working style, successfully developing and implementing a five-year strategic plan.

At the helm of the R&A, Slumbers led its modernization and expansion as a global governing body (outside the United States and Mexico, where the USGA governs).

Several Slumbers-led actions played a key role in this, such as the merger of the R&A with the Ladies' Golf Union, the modernization of the Rules of Golf in 2019 and the roll-out of the World Handicap System in 2020, among others.

Slumbers' efforts have been particularly focused on the growth of women's golf as he led several initiatives, such as the launch of the Women in Golf Charter in 2018.

Apart from this, he is a member of several golf clubs, including Crail Golfing Society in Fife and Worplesdon Golf Club in Surrey.