Surprise pick for Premier League chief

The Premier League has appointed the head of the Guardian Media Group as its new chief executive after a long and protracted search for Richard Scudamore’s successor.

David Pemsel was unanimously approved by executives from England’s top tier after the recruitment panel cited his work in helping the GMG turn a profit for the first time in 20 years.

His appointment is a major surprise and comes after Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, who led the recruitment process, had been forced to go back to the drawing board twice in his search.

Discovery TV executive Susanna Dinnage got cold feet six weeks after accepting the job in November, while another front-runner, Tim Davie, chief executive of BBC Studios, pulled out of the running in January. Pemsel, who will take up the job by April, was chosen by the recruitment panel after Richard Masters, a popular internal candidate who had been serving as interim chief executive, was informed he was unlikely to be offered the job permanently.

“I am thrilled to have been offered this incredible opportunity,” said father-of one Pemsel, 51, who is a Chelsea fan. “The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world and I am very excited to be a key part of that. As a football fan, I understand just how important the game is to supporters and our national identity and I am honoured to take the helm of such an influential and prestigious organisation.”

It is now 482 days since Scudamore announced he was stepping down and Pemsel arrives amid huge pressure to maintain the league’s multi-billion pound TV rights deals. The Premier League will draw on his previous experience as group marketing director at ITV. He also worked with Channel 4, Disney and Discovery.

Buck said: “We are delighted to welcome David to the Premier League. At the GMG, he has shown strong leadership through a period of change and transformation. Returning the group to profit is an impressive achievement and he has demonstrated that he can develop and execute a transformational plan in an ever-changing business landscape.

“In addition, he has worked with the big players in digital and media and has managed diverse groups and constituencies.”