Port Vale Football Club today has announced the formation of its board of Directors. This crystallises the ambition of Carol Shanahan, PVFC’s chairman and co-owner, to create a structure and leadership team from which to build long-term success and financial stability for the Club.

Kevin Shanahan, as co-owner with Carol, will step down as co-chair to focus on his ambassadorial role for the Club.

Colin Garlick, as Chief Executive Officer, will continue driving forward the football side of the business.  Alongside Colin, Claire Halket will step into the Chief Operating Officer role, referencing her extensive people management and property management experience to lead all non-football related activities.

Kate Beardmore has been appointed as Vice-Chair, providing vital support in the leadership of the new Board, helping to drive performance of the PVFC business through transparency and accountability.

Ian Lewis, Marian Humphreys and Rob Moorhouse will make up the rest of the Board.  Ian’s IT expertise will expedite the Club’s modernisation of ticketing and other solutions, Marian will take charge of contractual obligations to optimise them for the benefit of the Club, and Rob will bring to the fore his substantial experience in the prudent financial management of the business.

Commenting on the formation of the Board, Carol said: “I'm really excited to be leading this new Board into the future, creating and delivering a robust strategy for the Club that will bring all the elements of Port Vale together to form a cohesive organisation whilst focusing and structuring the business to maximise the opportunities that come our way”.

"With the support of Kate, we will progress with and build upon the 8 months of collective effort thus far, assisting both Colin and Claire to drive the Club forward off the pitch. I am eager, along with the rest of the Board, to continuing supporting John Askey as he works with the team to improve our performance on the pitch.  Whilst luck is inevitably a part of any club’s future success, we want our luck to be a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.”