Gas get new CEO as Starnes steps down
Club move swiftly to place commercial director in charge of day-to-day operations
WITHIN minutes of announcing CEO Martyn Starnes’ exit yesterday, Bristol Rovers confirmed his successor.
The club’s commercial director, Tom Gorringe, will replace Starnes when he leaves the club on November 30. Rovers confirmed Starnes’ resignation, with “personal reasons” cited.
Gorringe, who has worked at Portsmouth and Cardiff City before becoming head of marketing at Brighton & Hove Albion, joined Rovers in 2017. He has impressed fans with his accessibility on social media and his superiors at the Mem have been equally impressed by his performance. He was promoted to the board in 2020.
In recent months, he has been leading a restructure of departments behind the scenes at Rovers to improve efficiency.
“I’m delighted to announce the promotion of Tom Gorringe to the CEO position,” Rovers owner Wael Al-Qadi said. “Tom’s a trailblazer and over the years that I’ve worked with him, he’s proven to be hardworking, efficient, honest and popular amongst colleagues and the fan base.
“He’s successfully implemented many new projects at the club and has impressive leadership qualities.
“I’ve tasked him to oversee a complete restructure of the organisation, something that’s necessary to ensure that the club is operating to the highest possible standards. I wish Tom the best of luck in what I hope will be an exciting new era for the club. UTG!”
Gorringe, who will be tasked with leading Rovers’ day-to-day operations, said: “Since the first day that I stepped foot at this club, I’ve been struck by the potential and been determined to play my part in unlocking it. This is a special club and there is nowhere else I’d rather be at this stage of my career than here working on this project. To be leading the club during such an exciting time is an honour and I’ll do everything within my power to help make us as successful as we can be.
“I’d like to thank Wael for all of the support he’s given me and the faith that he’s shown me in offering this opportunity at what is an exciting time for the club.
“By working together, there are no limits to what this club can achieve and I hope that under my leadership the staff, players, supporters and all stakeholders can pull in the same direction to help us progress.”