Ron Gourlay arrives at West Brom with an elite level CV
Ron Gourlay is the man trusted to get the next big decision right at The Hawthorns.
Albion’s new chief executive officer has been tasked with initially replacing Valerien Ismael in charge of first-team affairs.
He is new to the role having been confirmed as Xu ‘Ken’ Ke’s replacement barely minutes after Frenchman Ismael was officially relieved of his duties yesterday.
Gourlay, the 59-year-old former Chelsea and Reading CEO, is not a stranger at The Hawthorns.
The Scot has worked as a consultant to Albion’s board since July. His appointment came shortly after former sporting and technical director Luke Dowling departed.
Gourlay’s remit, alongside Xu Ke and head of recruitment Ian Pearce, among other aspects, was transfer arrivals and departures.
And now, following yesterday’s reshuffle, he will oversee the day-to-day running of Albion as CEO.
Gourlay, who previously held a senior role at sportswear provider giant Umbro for 16 years, has also been a senior director at Manchester United.
He has 25 years experience working at the top of some of English football’s elite clubs and helped bring stunning success to Chelsea.
The Scottish businessman spent five trophy-laden years as chief executive at Stamford Bridge. He was previously chief operating officer. Chairman Bruce Buck described him as the ‘outstanding candidate’.
He worked closely alongside managerial giants Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho, as well as with former Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo, with whom Chelsea finally landed Roman Abramovich’s holy grail – the Champions League.
He has a close relationship with former Chelsea skipper and ex-Villa coach John Terry, whose name was mentioned early on in relation to the vacant Baggies job.
Gourlay left Chelsea in 2014 and his most recent role in the game has been at Albion’s troubled Championship rivals Reading – another club with Chinese ownership.
He lasted just over 16 months from 2017 at The Madejski in a short and ill-fated spell. Former chairman Sir John Madejski suggested since that Gourlay’s experience at football’s biggest clubs did not stand him in good stead for a community club like Reading.
