Barnsley have announced via their club website that an appointment has been made at the top of the club, Frenchman Gauthier Ganaye coming in as Chief Executive.
Following what the club termed “a comprehensive recruitment process,” Ganaye will join Barnsley from Ligue 2 side RC Lens. Ganaye will be moving over from the French side and swapping his Director of Marketing and International Development for the CEO role at the South Yorkshire club.
On his appointment, Frenchman Ganaye said: “I want to thank the Owner and the Board for their trust in me. I am honoured to be appointed Chief Executive Officer of a 130 year old institution like Barnsley FC. Coming from a mining area, I know what a club like Barnsley FC means to the community and fans. I understand the mining culture – people are modest, hardworking and loyal and I can assure you, this is how I will conduct myself as a Barnsley FC representative.”
https://twitter.com/joshsavage1510/status/869510059629436928
For their part, the club are more than happy at bringing in such a high-profile signing from overseas. Club chairman Maurice Watkins said of the appointment: “The Owner and Board are very pleased to welcome Gauthier Ganaye to Oakwell as its new Chief Executive. We believe that with the all-round experience he has gained at Racing Club de Lens, Gauthier Ganaye will prove to be an excellent acquisition for Barnsley FC and will very quickly play a significant role in the running and development of the Club.”
Some responses to the Ganaye appointment
Gauthier Ganaye will go from working with a manager called Allain Casanova at Lens to Paul Heckingbottom. What a world we live in.
— Doug O'Kane (@dougokane88) May 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/1887AR/status/869513212772974592
#BarnsleyFC going global – named Gauthier Ganaye of Racing Club Lens in France as new chief exec. Should free up Heckingbottom from signings
— Nick Westby (@NWestbyYPSport) May 30, 2017