Latest news with #Gourlay
Straits Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Valencia aim to ‘compete for top honours' with former Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay at the helm
Valencia aim to 'compete for top honours' with former Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay at the helm SINGAPORE – After overcoming an early threat of relegation and turning things around to remain in the La Liga, Singaporean-owned Valencia are aiming to compete for honours and 'return to the top tier of European football' with the hiring of former Chelsea chief executive officer Ron Gourlay. Valencia president Kiat Lim, the son of owner Peter Lim, said in a statement that they are building for the future, with a foundation that is 'sustainable, ambitious and worthy of our proud history'. The 31-year-old, who was appointed in March, added: 'In Ron Gourlay, we have a senior and very experienced sporting CEO who understands the complexities of modern football and the demands of a top-tier club to lead the project.' The 63-year-old Briton comes with considerable pedigree, having held senior executive roles at English clubs Manchester United, Chelsea, Reading, West Bromwich Albion (WBA) and Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli. Most notably, he was with Chelsea from 2009 to 2014, during which he oversaw one of the most successful periods in the Blues' history as they won an English Premier League title, two FA Cups and their first Champions League and Europa League titles. He led strategic and operational transformations at Championship sides Reading and WBA, before joining Al-Ahli, who won the AFC Champions League Elite title in May. While Valencia's recent business model has been largely 'sell, replace, repeat' with an emphasis on blooding youth academy players and picking up loan and free transfers – they spent just €24.25 million (S$35.5 million) on transfers in the last three seasons – Gourlay hinted their approach may change. He said: 'With Kiat's leadership at the helm, we have a shared ambition to restore Valencia to where it belongs – competing for top honours, with a squad that reflects the club's identity and future.' His first order of transfer business appears to be replacing Liverpool-bound goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, with Celta Vigo's 38-year-old Vicente Guaita touted to return to Valencia, as well as filling the gap left behind by defensive midfielder Enzo Barrenechea, who returns to Aston Villa following his impressive loan spell. Gourlay, who called it a 'privilege to join Valencia at such a pivotal time', added that he is thrilled to reunite with coach Carlos Corberan, whom he appointed at WBA as the duo worked to help the struggling club challenge for a play-off position. It has been a similar story at Valencia, where Corberan, 42, engineered a remarkable turnaround after signing a three-year deal with his boyhood club in December. During that time, Los Che were second from bottom with just 12 points from 17 matches, but the Spaniard managed to get an underperforming team to step up and earn 34 points from the next 21 games, including a 2-1 win at Real Madrid, to finish 12th. Corberan is looking forward to working with Gourlay again, saying: 'Ron's arrival is a tremendous boost for all of us. We've shared a very productive journey before, and I know how much value he brings – from his strategic mindset to his ability to make decisive moves in critical moments. 'Having him here gives me great confidence, and together with Kiat's unwavering support, I believe we have the right team in place to take Valencia to the next level.' David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Los Angeles Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Vanguard University kicks off graduation season, celebrates Class of 2025
With the calendar flipping over to May, graduation season has officially arrived. Vanguard University was the first local school to hold a commencement ceremony, on Thursday, at Mariners Church in Irvine. Vanguard had 361 members of the Class of 2025 walk across the stage in a morning ceremony, undergraduates no more after university President Michael Beals handed them their diplomas. An additional 53 professional education undergraduates joined 100 graduate students in an afternoon ceremony, for a total of 514 graduates from the private Christian university. hxt ehzfVdcx. vxxczfedxxa Amberly Gourlay, the student speaker at the morning ceremony, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science, minoring in theology and public policy. Gourlay, the student body president, made Vanguard and Southern California her home the last four years after being born in Alaska and raised in Durban, South Africa. She served as a College Corps resident and fellow and was a resident assistant in Newport Hall on campus. 'It's very bittersweet and hard to be leaving something that's become so familiar,' Gourlay said in an interview. She plans to attend graduate school on the East Coast at Northeastern University. 'With that, I'm so excited for what's upcoming ... I think Vanguard has been a safe space for me to land in the U.S. I feel like I've been very protected and given opportunities to really practice my gifts, in the sense of my spirituality but then also what I feel God is calling me into in terms of profession and study. Moving to a new place and learning a new culture, it's a very vulnerable process, but I feel like Vanguard walked me slowly through that.' Howard Booker, who earned his master's in business administration at Vanguard in 2008, delivered the commencement address. Booker is the executive director of the In-N-Out Burger Foundation. He said he frequently works with youth in foster care, often adopted or dealing with homelessness. 'If you're graduating here today and your journey included heartache, loss, trauma ... this moment is even sweeter for you if that's your story,' Booker told the graduates. 'Remember that those moments are part of your story, but they do not define you.'
