Topic: New Managing Director Appointed - Christian Purslow

[Passmaster Molby]

LFC APPOINTS MANAGING DIRECTOR
Paul Eaton 22 June 2009 
 
Liverpool FC Co-Chairmen, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, today announced the appointment of Christian Purslow as Managing Director of the Club. 
Christian Purslow will assume overall management of the Club until the appointment of a new Chief Executive, and will then continue as a Board Director. As Managing Director, Purslow will represent the owners and oversee all financial and operational aspects of the Club, working with Rafa Benitez on player transfers and with the Club's Group Chief Financial Officer, Philip Nash and Commercial Director, Ian Ayre on Club and commercial management.
 
George Gillett said: "Tom and I felt that it was important to put a highly experienced and respected executive in place to run the Club and support the senior team and the Manager. There's a lot to get done over the summer to build on the great season we just had and Christian will be a valuable addition to the team."
 
Tom Hicks added: "Christian has been a great supporter of the Club for many years and he's already built up good relationships at Anfield. His strategic and commercial acumen will be a real asset and we're delighted that he has made a long term commitment to the Club."
 
Christian Purslow, 45, a long time Liverpool season ticket holder, is an Executive Board member of MidOcean Partners, a private equity firm which he co-founded. He was previously a director of Morgan Grenfell Private Equity. Prior to his private equity career Purslow was Head of Media, Cable and Entertainment for Schroder Salomon Smith Barney in Europe and head of UK Mergers and Acquisitions for Credit Suisse First Boston. Purslow is a fluent Spanish speaker, has a modern Languages degree from Cambridge University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
 
Executive search firm Odgers Berndtson is conducting the CEO recruitment process and an appointment will be made in due course. 

[Oscar3]

Just been on ssn!

[jason42]

Does he post on here???

[Red Genius]

No surprises then that his background is financial, with regards to our current circumstances and future challenges.

At least we'll have somebody who you'd expect to be prudent with our pennies. Not entirely sure he has much experience with qualities such as brand awareness, marketing and delivering in a diverse market to one that he is used to.

Still.. Good Luck Christian, we wish you all the very best!

[Passmaster Molby]

Seems like he will move on to the board as well once we appoint a chief executive. Will be good to see Liverpool supporters in the boardroom.

We will have to get used to the fact the americans are going nowhere.

[Cadno]

No surprises then that his background is financial, with regards to our current circumstances and future challenges.

At least we'll have somebody who you'd expect to be prudent with our pennies. Not entirely sure he has much experience with qualities such as brand awareness, marketing and delivering in a diverse market to one that he is used to.

Still.. Good Luck Christian, we wish you all the very best!

Surely the quality we are most interested in at the moment is player negotiations .  Can he bring Rafa who he wants or will he be another Parry?

[Raul!]

Sounds good on paper.

[Red Genius]

Surely the quality we are most interested in at the moment is player negotiations .  Can he bring Rafa who he wants or will he be another Parry?

Well success on the pitch usually is suffice to get any players attention, coupled with our history... we really don't need to be locking players in rooms (ala Harry Redknapp) to get them to sign.

I'm more interested in how he can exploit the commercial opportunities that Parry clearly had missed, an extra £40m a year would be useful, no doubt G+H would also agree.

[Passmaster Molby]

He looks a reet smooth fucker too - hope he is a good negotiator.

Should be straight into work today with Rafa back from his holidays - get some fucking deals done lads.

[xerxes1]

A very impressive CV.It looks like a good appointment, and a Spanish speaker too..........

[vanoord]

Very interesting.

This was the guy who Hicks brought to the Arsenal game iirc and has been advising on financing matters.

The comment "will represent the owners and oversee all financial and operational aspects of the Club" is the nub of this one.


I'd say the odds of the club being sold have reduced somewhat.

EDIT: actually, I'm going to qualify that - if G&H wanted to sell the club (or part of it), then putting someone like this into the club to tidy it up would be entirely logical, especially given his background. This guy, I guess, is the replacement for Foster Gillett, with the difference being that Purslow is actually qualified for the job. The plot, it seems, thickens.

[Passmaster Molby]

I think there is virtually nil chance of the club being sold to be honest, especially if Hicks manages to raise some money from sales of his sports clubs. Would like to think they will both be investing some of their money (around 200mill or so between them) into the club to help fund the new ground. Would go some way to right many of their wrongs.

[JoeTwerp]

Sounds good on paper.

A very impressive CV.It looks like a good appointment, and a Spanish speaker too..........

[west_london_red]

I'd say the odds of the club being sold have reduced somewhat.

I think we all sadly know that. I generally dont trust his kind, but thats just my left wing anti-capitalist nature i suppose.

Lets see what he can do, but unless its water into wine type miracles, i cant see much changing.

[scatman]

i guess it's good he's a liverpool supporter, there's nothing else to comment on i guess.

[Liverbird 2010]

Lets hope he gets along with Rafa otherwise more in house fighting.

[RedJam70]

"continue as Board director". Does that mean he gets a place on the board? Would the chief exec get one too when he comes? Might make more sense of Moores resigning from the board if so. 2 places freed and 2 places taken. So we have a chief financial director, a commercial director a managing director, a ceo (no doubt all money men) and Rafa as top brass? I remember when it was all about football. Gotta move with the times tho, yeah.   

[red_til_i_die]

Well he does speak fluent spainish apparently Lyndsey so at least Rafa should be able to get his point across if he can't word it properly in English

[koppper]

This makes is a lot more/less likely that we will be sold - I haven't decided which yet.

[Crazynumber9]

Anyone else think he looks like Alan Hansen?

[vanoord]

"continue as Board director". Does that mean he gets a place on the board? Would the chief exec get one too when he comes? Might make more sense of Moores resigning from the board if so. 2 places freed and 2 places taken. So we have a chief financial director, a commercial director a managing director, a ceo (no doubt all money men) and Rafa as top brass? I remember when it was all about football. Gotta move with the times tho, yeah.   

It potentially opens up for the resignation of Foster Gillett and Tom Hicks Jnr, with a couple of spaces on the board being given to new investors - with the sixth being taken by the new CEO (potentially appointed by the new investors). That would give a board split 3/3 between the Americans and A.N.Others.

Pure speculation, but the point of Purslow being appointed to look after the interests of the Yanks on this side of the pond is interesting.

The slightly worrying aspect of this is that Purslow is an expert at borrowing money - what we need is equity, not debt.

It's probably good news for the stadium development and we'll have to hope that his love of the club as a season ticket holder makes him more likely to look after the long-term future of LFC rather than maximising profits for the Yanks.

[ElSheak]

He looks a reet smooth fucker too - hope he is a good negotiator.

Should be straight into work today with Rafa back from his holidays - get some fucking deals done lads.

Wasn't he in the A-team?

[guyko21]

I think if anything it points to a new ownership structure moving forward. 

It's odd that a new CEO hasn't been appointed yet - they've had 3-4 months to figure it out since Parry's announcement. 

This appointment smells of the strategy of new investment coming in with H&G retaining a stake. 

I wish I had more news about the previous Kuwaiti interest (which was real) but I don't have a sniff

[fry]

I dont see this as a good thing.  Based on being a H+G appointment.   

[ds2190]

I think if anything it points to a new ownership structure moving forward. 

It's odd that a new CEO hasn't been appointed yet - they've had 3-4 months to figure it out since Parry's announcement. 

This appointment smells of the strategy of new investment coming in with H&G retaining a stake. 

I wish I had more news about the previous Kuwaiti interest (which was real) but I don't have a sniff

Interesting take on things. It does seem odd that they've taken so long to change the structure of the club.

[Miguel Sanchez]

I think if anything it points to a new ownership structure moving forward. 

It's odd that a new CEO hasn't been appointed yet - they've had 3-4 months to figure it out since Parry's announcement. 

This appointment smells of the strategy of new investment coming in with H&G retaining a stake. 

I wish I had more news about the previous Kuwaiti interest (which was real) but I don't have a sniff

I hope that this is right and we are the club with 60% ownership being talked about.

[Uhoh AureliOs]

I find it's a bit odd that they've created this temporary managing directors roll.

Why not make this Christian Purslow our new CEO if he ticks all the boxes like G&H say. Something's afoot.

[abhred]

CV is impressive. A Liverpool fan. Can't be that bad I guess

[trigger]

Wasn't he in the A-team?

isn't it that mush off Emmerdale?

[Istanbul, 2005]

sounds good, I always feel better when a boardmember have a conection to the club, like being a season ticket holder. He knows the problems with the atmosphere, ticket scheme/sales etc etc etc, at least I hope so, you never know in this football world.

[Liverbird 2010]

I hope that this is right and we are the club with 60% ownership being talked about.

It is looking quite possible now, but if it does happen and G & H keep 20% each there will be 3 people with their fingers in the pie, its just not going to work out.

What we do know is this fella from RAK is big in the construction business thats where they made their money, wouldnt rule it out that he will be building and funding the stadium, this tied in with Moores stepping down tells me somethings a foot.

[The Gulleysucker]

Just done a quick google on him and a trawl through the non lfc results.
Found this, which I think is him...http://www.fsa.gov.uk/register/pdf/A172161P.pdf
Can anyone confirm that it is him and if so, anyone any ideas what this was all about as I can't decide if it is a good or bad thing?
Generally looks like he has been involved in various buy outs and venture capital stuff over the years and maybe that's what his experience is for?
Seems well qualified.

[MidwestWool]

Christian Purslow sounds good on paper, like someone mentioned. Season-ticket holder for long, fluent Spanish speaker and his previous job posts all point towards a very good appointment. Hope he brings in a fantastic CEO, who we deserve after a joker called Parry.

[fry]

CV is impressive. A Liverpool fan. Can't be that bad I guess

Its a massive coincidence that he happens to be a liverpool fan.  Appeasement appointment.

[RedJam70]

It does seem odd that they seem to have added a role, so to speak, we've just needed a ceo I thought since we already have a commercial and finance director, plus rafa is now football director (or somesuch). If it is new investors then I just hope G&H are minority shareholders from then on. And these new investors are not worse than they were. I'd stiil be very wary of them if only for the fact they're willing to be partners to the 2 idiots though.

[xerxes1]

It does seem odd that they seem to have added a role,

Not really, P&M were lame ducks.Bringing some quality to the board is welcome.

[LukeD]

CV is impressive. A Liverpool fan. Can't be that bad I guess

Weren't the two blokes who sold the club recently Liverpool fans?

Not being funny, but I guess we'll have to wait and see whether he's a Liverpool fan like us who wants to see the club be the best it can be, or whether he's a fan who likes the opportunity to buy more nice, new cars etc.

[guyko21]

Weren't the two blokes who sold the club recently Liverpool fans?

Not being funny, but I guess we'll have to wait and see whether he's a Liverpool fan like us who wants to see the club be the best it can be, or whether he's a fan who likes the opportunity to buy more nice, new cars etc.

I doubt it would be the latter - sounds like he already has plenty of money for the cars.  Also, it doesn't sound like he's a shrinking violet either, so I'm not expecting him to be a patsy or pushover in the board. 

He's clearly there to oversee investment coming into the club.  The format that it takes is going to be the interesting thing.

[redannie]

I'm more interested in how he can exploit the commercial opportunities that Parry clearly had missed, an extra £40m a year would be useful, no doubt G+H would also agree.

We already have someone for that role in Ian Ayre don't we?

[adamreadthis]

Anyone else think he looks like Alan Hansen?

Johnathon Dimbleby