David Gill (executive)

David Gill
Born	David Alan Gill (1957-08-05) 5 August 1957 Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of Birmingham
Occupation	Accountant
Known for	Vice-chairman, the Football Association
Board member of	The Football Association
Children	Adam, Oliver and Jessica

David Alan Gill (born 5 August 1957) is British football executive, formerly chief executive of Manchester United and a vice-chairman of The Football Association. He served as vice-chairman of the G-14 management committee until the G-14 was disbanded.

Career

Born and raised in Reading, Berkshire,^[1] Gill studied at the University of Birmingham, becoming a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1981. After a two-year spell in San Francisco, he left the firm in 1986 to join The BOC Group in its corporate finance department, and then Avis Rent a Car System in 1990. At Avis, he was responsible for the disposal of the European leasing business to GE Capital for US$1 billion in August 1992. Subsequently, he was finance director at Proudfoot PLC, the worldwide management consulting business, then quoted on the London Stock Exchange, and then at First Choice Holidays PLC, the third largest UK tour operator, before joining Manchester United F.C. in 1997.

Manchester United

Gill joined Manchester United PLC in 1997 as finance director. In August 2000, he was promoted to deputy chief executive whilst retaining his responsibilities as finance director. In July 2001, Nick Humby was appointed finance director of Manchester United PLC, so Gill was promoted again this time to the title of Group Chief executive officer, allowing him to concentrate on managing the day-to-day operations of the business (including sponsorship & marketing, business development, financial services, conference & catering, ticketing & membership and group property).

In September 2003, after the departure of previous chief executive Peter Kenyon to Chelsea F.C., Gill was promoted to chief executive of Manchester United PLC. In 2005, he was appointed chief executive of the private limited company, Manchester United Ltd, that succeeded Manchester United PLC after the takeover by Malcolm Glazer.^[2]

Gill was also vice-chairman of the management committee of the now defunct G-14, an organisation of leading European football clubs. However, in September 2009, he was elected to a two-year place on the board of the European Club Association, the organisation created to replace the G-14.^[3]

On 20 February 2013. Manchester United announced that Gill would leave his post in the summer of 2013. He was replaced by the executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.^[4]

The Football Association

On 2 June 2006, Gill was elected onto the board of The Football Association, replacing Arsenal F.C. vice-chairman David Dein. Gill said he was delighted to be working with the other board members of the Football Association. One of the first issues he had to deal with was the "club-vs.-country" row over Wayne Rooney's foot at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Questions were raised by Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez about a potential conflict of interest between Gill's roles with Manchester United and the FA. However, Gill dismissed the Spaniard's concerns, saying that he had been elected by the other Premier League chief executives.^[5] In October 2012, David was appointed vice-chairman of the Football Association, replacing Sir Dave Richards.

Personal life

Gill has two sons, Adam and Oliver, and a daughter, Jessica. Oliver signed a professional contract with Manchester United in July 2009.

References