The former Leeds United chief executive Shaun Harvey has been appointed to lead the Football League as part of a reshuffle at the top of the organisation.
Harvey, 43, who stepped down as the Leeds United managing director this month following the club's takeover by GFH Capital after almost a decade in the role, takes on the position at a time of considerable flux for league clubs.
Having arrived at Elland Road as part of the consortium that sought to rescue the club following the financial meltdown of the Peter Ridsdale era, Harvey played a pivotal role in smoothing the transition when Ken Bates took the club out of a second administration in 2007.
Harvey was managing director of Bradford City for a decade during a rollercoaster spell that included two administrations. Before that, he was club secretary at Scarborough.
The Football League chairman Greg Clarke announced earlier this year that he planned to step back to a non-executive role and recruit a chief executive, in line with corporate governance best practice. Harvey, who has been on the Football League board since 2011, was recruited by a panel chaired by independent director Richard Bowker.
Although the league recently ended a long running search for a title sponsor when it agreed a deal with Sky Bet, reconciling the myriad financial challenges of the 72 teams across three divisions will continue to prove challenging. "Shaun is widely respected across the game for his deep understanding of the football industry. During my time as chairman, he has made an important contribution to the League Board," Clarke said.
"Having held senior positions at football clubs in all four divisions of English professional football, he is uniquely placed to understand the challenges faced by clubs of all sizes."
Harvey will take up his new role on 1 October. "As someone who has served Football League clubs for most of my working life, it is a great privilege to be appointed to this role," he said. "I have the very highest regard for the people who run our football clubs and I look forward to working with them, as well as all those with a stake in our game, to deliver a vibrant and sustainable Football League."
His appointment completes a round of musical chairs amid administrators at the top of the sport in England that has also included the appointment of Greg Dyke as Football Association chairman and Anthony Fry as the new Premier League chairman.
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