Ritchie will move to Twickenham after spending six years as chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The RFU have been without a permanent chief executive since John Steele's departure in June, just nine months after he took office. The RFU's chief financial officer Stephen Brown, who replaced Martyn Thomas as acting chief executive late last month, will continue in the role until Ritchie has served his notice at Wimbledon. Ritchie will take over an organisation which has been in a state of managerial turmoil since Steele's sudden departure, when the board cited a loss of trust in his leadership. The fall-out from that episode was poisonous, damaging and expensive but Ritchie's appointment is the latest step towards English rugby curing itself of its ills. The RFU recently posted record profits and Ritchie's task will be to maximise the impact of hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup on home soil.