Biographical Details
Sir Rodney was born on the 10th April 1943.
His father, Norman was killed in action in June 1943, after which his mother, Lucy raised their three children Edward Norman, Sandra & Rodney.
Sir Rodney married his wife Anne in 1974, they have two sons, Alexander and Timothy, five grandsons Dylan, Oscar, Jack, Isaac and Theo and a granddaughter Freya.
In 1996 Rodney was awarded the honour of Knight Bachelor by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of his services to sport.
In 2007 First Wakefield awarded Sir Rodney, its inaugural Life Time Achievement Award in recognition of his services to the City, Sport, Business and for leading campaigns which have raised an estimated £40 million for a variety of charities and good causes.
In 2012 Wakefield Council awarded Sir Rodney the Freedom of the City in recognition of his services to the City, Sport, Business and charity.
The Wakefield Business Awards named Sir Rodney Business Person of the Year in 2014 and awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
In November 2021 Sir Rodney received The Freedom of the City of London by special Nomination for his lifelong services to sports administration together with his contributions to charitable and cultural activities.
In June 2013 Sir Rodney was invited by the Government to establish and chair the committee to oversee the organisation of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart which took place over 3 days. It is estimated that the event produced a financial benefit of £128 million.
In 1998 he was admitted as a Knight into the Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem in recognition of his services to health in the UK.
He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bradford in 1996 and conferred with a similar status by the University of Huddersfield in 2014 for services to the country.