Bristol City have confirmed Richard Gould will step down from his role of CEO to take up the position of chief executive of the ECB.
Gould, 52, will remain with the Robins until the end of the January transfer window before departing for a new role at the England and Wales cricket board. He was selected ahead of Durham’s Tim Bostock to one of the most influential roles in English and world cricket.
The Telegraph state that after the final round of interviews on Wednesday, the ECB board held a meeting on Friday to decide on their preferred candidate. City then confirmed the news on Sunday afternoon with Gould and City owner Steve Lansdown releasing statements on the club's website.
Gould said: "Serving as CEO of City is an honour and a privilege and I am grateful for the amazing support provided by players, staff, fans and the Lansdown family.
“For a Bristol boy who grew up in football it will be a real wrench to leave this great club and city so early but I hope people will understand that the scale of the role at ECB makes it a difficult challenge to ignore.
“In the meantime, everyone at City remains fully focused on the challenge ahead and pushing up the table and I firmly believe this club can achieve great things.”
Lansdown added: "Obviously we are disappointed to lose Richard after just 18 months but we understand his reasons for wanting to return to cricket.
“He goes with our thanks and the search is underway for a successor. Richard remains with us until the end of the transfer window, working alongside City Board Director and Group Director of Sport Gavin Marshall.”
Gould will still be at Thursday's fans forum alongside City manager Nigel Pearson and striker Nahki Wells.
Bristol Live understands that Gould was head-hunted for the role, having previously been unsuccessful in 2014, and the move will reunite him with ECB chair Richard Thompson, who was chairman during his 10-year stay at Surrey, having previously worked as the chief executive of Somerset.
City will therefore shortly be searching for their third CEO in the last 18 months after Gould replaced Mark Ashton last June after he had left City to join League One side Ipswich Town. Since returning to Ashton Gate, having served as commercial director from 2001 until 2005, Bristol-raised Gould has proved a stabilising, respected and much-admired figure behind the scenes.
He has operated within a time of considerable financial turmoil for the club, and the Championship at large, amid record losses of £38.4million, and successfully brought the club’s wage bill down significantly, while ensuring the team remain competitive in the Championship.
Gould has remained largely out of the limelight, quietly going about his work and has been a driving force behind a number of initiatives to form a greater understanding of the club’s history, including the marking of the 40th anniversary of the Ashton Gate Eight, the establishment of the Former Players Association and the tributes around the death of former manager Terry Cooper.
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