Chelsea Appoint Guy Laurence as Club's Chief Executive

Chelsea appointed Guy Laurence as their chief executive on Thursday.

The club announced his arrival on their official website, with Laurence set to begin his duties at the beginning of February.

As chief executive, Laurence will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of the club, and he has also been tasked with increasing the Blues' revenues through the development of the club's commercial activities.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said:

"We look forward to Guy joining the club during an exciting period for Chelsea on and off the field. He will be working with the owner and the Board to increase our commercial revenues and maximise digital opportunities, identifying new ways to best serve our supporters here in the UK and further grow our international fan base."

As ESPN FC's Liam Twomey noted, the appointment marks a departure from the club's recent operation without a chief executive:

The Telegraph's Matt Law supplied further insight:

Laurence was previously the CEO of Vodafone UK and more recently the president and CEO of Rogers Communications, while he has also been a director at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns Toronto's MLS, NBA and NHL teams.

On December 29, Chelsea announced record revenues for the financial year ending on 30 June 2017, with an increase in commercial income contributing to that thanks to a number of partnership deals, such as with training-wear sponsor Carabao.