London Irish has today announced that Brian Facer will be joining the club as the new chief executive.

Facer will arrive at Hazelwood at the beginning of November with a wealth of experience working in sport.

After working for a number of blue chip companies, Facer joined Northampton Saints in 2006 as sales and marketing manager before being promoted to head of commercial operations in 2012 then to his current role as commercial director in 2014.

His 11 years at Northampton Saints have seen him play a substantial role in the success of the club as a powerhouse of English rugby, maximising Saints’ commercial potential off the field while the club moved from relegation in 2007 to 2014 Aviva Premiership Rugby Champions on the field.

London Irish president Mick Crossan says that Facer was the unanimous choice.

“This is an exciting time for London Irish with our return to the Aviva Premiership and we feel that Brian is the right person to lead the club as chief executive as we look to progress both on the field and commercially,” said Crossan.

“We were able to choose from some exceptional candidates for this role and Brian's depth of experience in sport made him the clear choice for the position.

“Not only does Brian have the considerable commercial experience required to take the Exiles brand from strength to strength, he also understands how important our supporters are to everyone at the club and the importance of the history of the club.

“The board and I look forward to working with Brian to develop London Irish to realise its full potential.”

Facer is relishing the opportunity to develop London Irish's future.

“I am thrilled to be joining London Irish,” he said. “London Irish is a club dear to the hearts of many with an immensely strong history and I'm excited about the opportunity to take the club to the next level.

“The culture at the club is extremely positive both on and off the field and with such a strong team already in place both from a rugby perspective and commercially, I look forward to leading the club through the next chapter.

“I have been lucky to visit the club on numerous occasions as part of the away team and have always enjoyed the warm welcome from the supporters and am looking forward to experiencing this as a member of the home team.”

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