Somerset appoint new chief executive

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Somerset have appointed Guy Lavender, a former Lieutenant Colonel, as their new chief executive to replace Richard Gould who has moved to the same role at Surrey.

Lavender joins county cricket having been involved in preparing the South West of England for 2012 Olympic Games, since his retirement from the armed forces, which involved the sailing venue at Weymouth and Portland. He will officially join Somerset next month.

"I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed to lead Somerset and I intend to bring all of my leadership, sporting and commercial experience to bear in making sure that the next few years will be the greatest in Somerset's history," he said.

"Living locally, I have seen some magnificent performances on the pitch combined with the development of an outstanding range of facilities. I am determined to build on that success and make sure that the conditions are set for a tremendous season."

Andy Nash, the Somerset chairman, said: "Guy Lavender is a very rare and special talent and I'm delighted he is joining us as chief executive. He has an extraordinary track record of achievement in the most demanding senior military roles and in the preparations for London 2012. We are very fortunate to have attracted him to Somerset.

"Guy will play a crucial and leading role in shaping our club's foreseeable future and will be an admirable replacement for his excellent predecessor Richard Gould."

Lavender served 18 years in the military as part of the Parachute Regiment and led operations in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.