Richard Garlick has been appointed to succeed Dan Ashworth as the club’s Sporting and Technical Director.
Albion’s current Legal Director/Secretary will take over from Ashworth when he departs for a role with the Football Association at the end of the season.
Garlick was selected for the role after forging strong internal links at the club. He has no previous experience in a similar role. The former Rotherham United youth player failed on securing a professional contract so instead opted to become a lawyer.
He joined Albion back in 2010 and was appointed to the Club’s board several months later.
Jeremy Peace, Albion chairman, believes the new recruit was best placed to fill Ashworth’s boots.
“This is an important appointment for the Club,” he said.
“We decided to recruit an individual with a current working knowledge of the English game. Therefore we conducted an extensive search in the UK to benchmark all possible candidates to replace Dan.
“As the Sporting & Technical Director role is not yet firmly established in this country, the fact Dan’s notice period runs until the summer has given us the opportunity to research a wide range of people with a variety of footballing skill sets.
“We have had Richard in mind since the start of the process and after completing our research, he emerged as the strongest candidate.
“As with Dan when he was initially appointed five years ago, Richard already has an in-depth knowledge of the Club, excellent relationships with the staff who will report to him and a clear understanding of how we operate.
“He will now work closely with Dan in a designate capacity with a view to taking on the role in a full capacity when Dan leaves to join The FA.”
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