Sunderland appoint Scottish Rugby data specialist James Mullins to head business insights | OneFootball

Sunderland have strengthened their off-field operation by hiring James Mullins as Head of Business Insights, with the data specialist joining from Scottish Rugby.

He confirmed the move in a LinkedIn post, saying he was delighted to join and looked forward to working with David Bruce, Brandon Furse and Scott McCubbin.

Mullins spent more than five years with Scottish Rugby, most recently as Head of Digital and Data. Before that he served as Head of Data and Insights and as Data Science Manager.

His background includes academia, as an associate lecturer at Northumbria University and a lecturer in sports performance analysis at the University of Gloucestershire. Earlier, he worked as a performance analyst at Performance Advantage, consulting across elite sport, including with Durham CCC and the Scottish Rugby Union.

The appointment underlines Sunderland’s growing emphasis on data-led decision-making across football and commercial departments, with continued investment in infrastructure and specialist staff to support long-term growth.

Source: Sunderland Echo