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The AFL club has announced the appointment of former chief operating officer Andrew Travis (pictured) to replace founding CEO Travis Auld, who left the club at the end of this season to take a position at AFL headquarters as general manager of clubs and operations.
Travis, who has been with the Suns in various roles since its inception, has been long touted as Auld’s replacement.
Suns chairman John Witheriff says a diverse field of more than 100 candidates was considered for the position.
“He comes to the job with a deep understanding of our club, a passion for the next stage of our journey, and ready to hit the ground running as CEO,” he says of Travis.
"We conducted a very wide search, and substantial board time was committed to the final interview processes.
“It is very satisfying that given we received over 100 quality applications, including three successful current or previous AFL club CEOs , one of the club’s own was successful in taking the job to lead us forward.”
Travis was previously director of infrastructure of Melbourne and Olympic Parks, operations manager at Etihad Stadium and commercial manager at Essendon Football Club.
“Andrew has the respect of the club and the industry, and his strong relationships across the AFL will deliver for the Gold Coast SUNS,” says Witheriff.
“As we enter an exciting period on field, Andrew is also the best-credentialed administrator to secure and oversee the construction of our elite training and administration base and other related infrastructure at Carrara.”
Among his first jobs will be to secure a new coach for the team following the dumping of Guy McKenna last week.
Travis says he is looking forward to “continuing to build our strength on and off the field”.
“It is a very exciting time to be at the Suns, with a playing list that is the envy of the league, and a great stadium that continues to drive growing crowds and membership on the back of our focus on fan experience.
“We have established a strong culture through committed staff, a united board, and our playing group, that are very much looking forward to season 2015.
“My focus will be to drive our football department towards on-field success, establishing an elite workplace, and growing our fan base on the Gold Coast and throughout the country.”
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