Bristol City have named former Crystal Palace chief executive Phil Alexander as their new CEO with the 60-year-old to replace Richard Gould at the start of February.
Alexander is a vastly experienced football administrator having become the longest-serving CEO in the Premier League during his 26 years at Selhurst Park. He left south London in May and has since been working as a consultant for Palace and League One Wycombe Wanderers.
Gould is leaving on January 31, following the closure of the transfer window, to take up a similar role with the England and Wales Cricket Board after a successful time in charge at his boyhood club, operating as a great mediator within Ashton Gate.
Chairman Jon Lansdown said: “We are delighted to secure someone of Phil’s calibre and football experience from a highly competitive field of candidates. He has operated at the highest level of English club football and knows what is required for success both on and off the field.
"There will be a handover period with Richard until the end of the transfer window before Phil takes over fully in February.”
Alexander’s confirmation arrives with City in immediate relegation trouble in the Championship with just one win from eight games and pressure, at least from the stands, mounting on Nigel Pearson with a hostile atmosphere at the 2-0 defeat to West Brom on Boxing Day.
Alexander said: "I’m really looking forward to the challenge of being CEO of such a great club. I’ve been hugely impressed by the ambition of the owner and chairman and I’m very much aware of the passion of the fans and their appetite for success.
“The infrastructure at Bristol City is ready for the Premier League and I will be working hard with everybody at the club to achieve the goal of promotion.”
The new CEO will also be working under significant financial restrictions due to concerns around meeting the EFL’s Profit & Sustainability regulations for 2023, although everyone within the club remains confident that obligations have been fulfilled and a points deduction will be avoided.
This summer also promises to be one of significant change with nine current first-team players out of contract and Pearson revealing last week that three have not been offered new deals. Alexander will find an ally on the football operations side of the club in technical director Brian Tinnion as part of his role was navigating the contract situation at Ashton Gate.
The Lansdowns also remain in the process of trying to sell a stake in the club, with Steve Lansdown confirming in 2021 they were seeking additional investment, adding to the sense of uncertainty heading into 2023. Interestingly, Alexander was in position at Palace when portions of the club were sold to American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer in 2015, and John Textor in 2021.
Alexander was on the books of Reading and Norwich City in his youth as well as enjoying an amateur career with Wokingham Town and Bracknell Town in his native Berkshire. He also played American football, as a kicker, for the London Monarchs and Farnham Knights before moving into football administration.
He was appointed Palace CEO in 1996 and guided the club through two administrations as well as three promotions to the Premier League and was a member of the FA Council, representing the Premier League, and sat on the FA’s Professional Game Board. Shortly before his departure he was named Premier League CEO of the Year at the Football Business Awards.
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