Ron Gourlay


Ron Gourlay is the former CEO of Chelsea and Reading.

Football

Chelsea

Ron Gourlay worked at Chelsea since 2004, having previously worked for Manchester United and Umbro.
He was appointed the chief executive of Chelsea on 17 September 2009, following Peter Kenyon's decision to leave the club on 31 October 2009.
He was quoted as saying: "It is a huge honour to be offered the chance to lead Chelsea". "We have a fantastic team both on and off the field and those teams can move us on to even greater success in the future. To be responsible for that is a fantastic challenge and I will be giving it my total commitment, drive and energy" after being named as the successor.

Resignation

He resigned 22 October 2014. Ron said: ‘It has been a privilege to have played a role in the club’s considerable achievements both on and off the pitch over the last 10 years, but I feel the time is right to move on to other challenges. I would like to thank Mr Abramovich, the directors, the manager and players and all the staff for their support during my time at the club, and wish them much continued success in the future.’

Reading

On 10 July 2017, Gourlay was appointed as CEO of Reading, leaving his role with immediate effect on 19 November 2018.