Rovers return as Latus Group founders join board of Super League club they served as players

Two brothers who harnessed their passion for sport to build a business which is an emerging force in the UK occupational health market have become the latest appointments to the board of the Super League club which first sparked their ambitions.

Jack and Sam Latus have joined the heavyweight line-up at Hull Kingston Rovers with a pledge to drive the further growth of the club they served as players and the  community which is at its heart.

The pair, both in their 30s, are seen as having a major part to play in taking the club forward as it progresses under the guidance of a board led by chair Paul Sewell, who is also chair of Sewell Group, the investments, consultancy, data mapping and intelligence, construction and facilities management business which dates back to 1876.

The presence of David Kilburn, the co-founder of MKM Building Supplies, James McNicol, managing director of London-based Oil Brokerage Ltd, and Becky Oughtibridge, director of professional services at Sewell Group, in supporting the owner, Hull-based solicitor Dr Neil Hudgell, adds up to vast experience. The new appointments will help to ensure future health and wellbeing.

Paul said: “This is a milestone in the drive for the sustainability of our club. Just as the first team needs a pipeline of fresh young talent, so does the board and we have been working towards this from the start of the transformation.

“That Jack and Sam are Hull business people who have been fantastically successful at a young age is great, but their former association with the club as players makes it towards perfect.”

Jack, Sam and third brother Will launched Latus Health in 2017 with ambitions for the business to be recognised as a challenger brand to traditional providers such as Bupa, Optima and Nuffield. Rapid growth of the business to date and further planned expansion for the year ahead has brought forecasts of more than 50 per cent growth during 2025, and that success in turn has triggered the confidence to take on the new roles.

Jack, CEO of Latus Group, said: “It feels like a good time for us because if we are going to put time into something, we want to know that we have the skill set to be able to add value. I think the lessons we have learned on the journey to build the Latus Group healthcare brand put us in a good position to help move the sport and club forward.”

The pair credit Hull KR with giving them their introduction to professional sport. Sam played 46 first-team games for the Robins. Jack was only ever on the fringes and wants to make up for lost time.

At the modern day Hull Kingston Rovers, that means providing the infrastructure off the pitch to support a team capable of winning trophies on the pitch. Central to that is the development of masterplan which will add community and commercial elements to the existing sports campus and which will be submitted for planning permission in the spring.

Jack added: “The ups and the downs of our time at the club and in the sport helped shape us to who we are today. It feels like a full circle moment to now be invited to join the board to help steer the strategic direction of the club to continued success. 

“I am excited at the opportunity to be able to have the impact that I always hoped I would as a player, but this time from the safer side of the whitewash!”

Sam, the company’s chief commercial officer, added: “We were attracted by how far the club has already gone, what the board has already achieved and how we can be a part of driving that forward to make a lasting change.

“It’s a privilege to be around them and we want to emulate the type of success that they have enjoyed in business, the impact they have made locally and nationally and the ambition they have instilled into the club. It was a ‘pinch me’ moment when we sat down at our first meeting!

“We’ll take a bit of time to learn more about the club and we hope our playing experience will be of benefit and help to maintain the strong connection between the board, the back office staff and the team.

“So much has changed since we played here – all for the better – and crucially they have maintained the essence of the club and looked after the heart of it.”

Paul Lakin, chief executive of Hull Kingston Rovers, said the appointments were the culmination of a series of chats to get to know each other over the last year.

He said: “We got together again earlier this year and things moved forward very quickly. I think having two successful young men who have both played the game and have a keen passion to make a difference will bring a different angle.

“Walking around our stadium with them as they engage with the staff, players and management it’s clear they are steeped in the club, the people and the potential.”