Supporters Direct (SD) has appointed Ashley Brown as its new Chief Executive.
Ashley Brown is the Chairman of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust and a Board Director of Portsmouth Football Club, the largest community owned club in the country.
He is also a Trustee of Pompey in the Community and was a member of the Government Expert Working Group on Supporter Ownership and Engagement.
Brown, who will join SD in mid-October, brings 20 years of world class business and management experience to the organisation, having forged a successful career at IBM and as a business consultant.
Since 2010, he has served as an elected member of the supporters’ trust board at Portsmouth, a role he intends to continue.
Welcomed the appointment, Brian Burgess, Chair of Supporters Direct, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Supporters Direct has managed to attract someone of Ashley’s calibre.
“We are confident that the supporters trust movement will be well served by a CEO who combines strong business skills with direct knowledge of the issues about which Supporters Direct cares so passionately.
“This makes Ashley uniquely placed to drive forward our mission to promote good governance in sport and to develop sustainable clubs based on supporter involvement and community ownership.”
Speaking of his appointment, Brown, said: “I am proud to be joining Supporters Direct at an exciting time for supporter ownership and engagement.
“I have seen for myself the benefits of fan involvement from my role leading the Pompey Supporters Trust in our battle to save and then run Pompey.
“I love football and firmly support the principles of fan ownership and structured dialogue between clubs and fans, both as a Director of Portsmouth Football Club and as a lifelong fan.
“I look forward to providing SD with strong leadership and helping the supporters trust movement grow, develop and succeed in its mission of empowering fans through better governance.”
Interim Chief Executive Hilary Clifford will be moving on from the organisation after completing the transfer of SD Europe to a new pan-European organisation at the end of her 15 month assignment.
Burgess added: “We thank Hilary for her contribution during a challenging time for SD and we wish her well.”
