Tony Rowe CBE - Chairman

Tony is the chief executive and chairman of Exeter Rugby Group Plc ( Exeter Chiefs). Under his guidance Chiefs have risen from a fourth division amateur outfit to the champions of English rugby union, playing in the Gallagher Premiership. In 2006, the Chiefs made the move from the run-down County Ground at St Thomas, to Sandy Park: a state-of-the-art stadium and conferencing centre based on the edge of the city.

Tony was educated at Grove Road Secondary Modern Gosport, left school at the age of fifteen and joined the Royal Marines Band as a Bugler/Drummer and spent most of his career serving on Royal Navy establishments.

Made redundant from the Royal Marines in 1972, he started up a company in Exmouth called Exe Marina Services which sold and repaired powerboat engines. He went on to successfully race single seater catamaran powerboats in the UK and Europe, becoming the British Champion in 1976 and setting a new British water speed record on Lake Windermere. He was in the all-British team that won the Rouen 24-hour powerboat race in 1978 (the powerboat equivalent to Le Mans).

In 1982, Tony opened the first retail computer shop in the area and when the Government announced that they were going to open up the telecommunications market Tony immediately recognised the potential opportunity, setting up the first independent telephone company in the region, South West Telecoms, which sold and installed business telephone systems. In the 40 years that followed, the business grew to become one of the largest independently-owned communications company in the south and south west under the name of swcomms. 

Tony was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his services to commerce, sport and charity. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law by the University of Exeter in 2014 and he was made a Freeman of the City of Exeter in 2015. His CBE followed in 2022 for his services to rugby and the city's community.

Tony is a keen motorcyclist and goes off on a long trip every year. In recent years he has undertaken motorbike trips through Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo, and around South America to raise money for Devon charities. In his spare time, he restores and looks after a large collection of old fire engines and he collects stamps.