Aberdeen have appointed Alan Burrows as the club's new chief executive.
The well-known figure in Scottish football joined the Dons from Motherwell after ending his 15-year spell with his boyhood club in Lanarkshire.
Burrows announced in recent weeks that he would be stepping down from his role as Motherwell CEO after over nine years of experience in the position.
Now, he has swapped Fir Park for Pittodrie and will officially start his new role on Monday, February 27 this year.
A club statement reads: "Aberdeen FC has appointed Alan Burrows as chief executive. The current chief executive of Motherwell FC will take up his new role at Pittodrie on 27th of February 2023.
"With over 15 years at Motherwell FC – nine as CEO – Alan has built up an enormous bank of knowledge, experience and credibility in Scottish football and was named Scottish CEO of the Year at the Football Business Awards in 2019.
"Alan joined Motherwell FC in a communications role in 2007, progressing to general manager and then CEO. During his tenure, Motherwell transitioned to fan ownership, recorded its highest ever turnover and net profit, achieved a record transfer fee and sponsorship deal as well as its highest-ever season ticket sales figure.
"On the pitch, Motherwell finished third in the Premiership in the season 2019/2020, played in Europa League and Europa Conference League qualifiers, reached two domestic cup finals and won the SFA Youth Cup for the first time."
READ MORE: David Goodwillie leaves Radcliffe FC after just one game
Dons chairman Dave Cormack said: “Alan has all the experience and qualities you’d look for in a chief executive. He’s got his finger firmly on the pulse of the Scottish game, is well-respected in footballing circles and is fully aligned with the strategy and vision we have to drive Aberdeen FC forward.
“In taking over as chairman, the intention was always to appoint a chief executive. However, within three months, the COVID pandemic hit and I felt the need to lead the Club through the significant financial challenges that presented. It was also critical that we were patient and found the right individual who knows and understands both football and business.”
“When Alan announced his intention to step down at Motherwell FC we began a dialogue which, I’m delighted to say, has led to his appointment. Alan inherits a strong management team and staff, many of whom he has worked with on SPFL working groups over the years. I’d particularly like to thank Motherwell chairman, Jim McMahon, for his co-operation in ensuring we have been able to agree a smooth transition.”
Burrows commented: “It’s a real privilege to be asked to take up the position of chief executive at AFC. I’ve built up a good working relationship with the chairman over the years and was very pleased when he got in touch.
“Aberdeen is an excellent football club with a rich and decorated history and ambitious plans for a successful future.
“When I decided to step down from my role at Motherwell, I was fortunate enough to have a number of clubs make contact with me. However, I was most intrigued by the Aberdeen opportunity, as I think there is so much potential at this club and so many exciting projects already well underway.
“There is much to do, on and off the pitch, and I am excited and eager to work with the many talented staff who I know are in place at Pittodrie. I am also keen to immerse myself as much as I can in the city and with the supporters, so I can best reflect the traditions and expectations of the Dons fanbase.
“I want to place on record my sincere thanks to all my friends and colleagues at Motherwell for fifteen memorable years. I wish the club, the directors, the staff, players and the supporters, who were very good to me, every success in the future.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel