BREAKING NEWS: Key Nottingham Forest off-field changes announced as statement made

Nottingham Forest have announced board changes.

   Former MP Michael Dugher was appointed to the board.    At the same time, former chairman Tom Cartledge is expected to step down from his role on the board with immediate effect.

   Dugher is a Reds fan and a regular at the City Ground.    He was a former patron and then board member of the Nottingham Forest Community Trust.

   “As a huge Forest fan, it is a great honor and privilege to be invited to join the board of the biggest football club on the planet,” said Dugher.   “Thanks to the fantastic support and continued commitment of our owners, these are exciting times for Nottingham Forest – back where we belong, competing among the elite of English football.

   “I know how important the club is to the local community, but also to fans who live all over the country and even the world. I hope I can use some of my experience to help the owners and board continue to build the club from  strength to strength.”

   Dugher, a former Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, will bring a wealth of experience.    He resigned from parliament in 2017.

   Reds chairman Nicholas Randall KC said: “We are delighted to welcome Michael to our board. He is an outstanding candidate as well as a fan of the club.

   “His public affairs expertise and his local knowledge and experience complement our board’s existing skills perfectly. He joins us at a very exciting time both on and off the field and we look forward to working with him.”

   Dugher graduated from the University of Nottingham.    Announcing his appointment, Forest said: “Former MP Michael Dugher is a business consultant and experienced executive who has led organizations across a range of sectors and has worked in government and public affairs for three decades.

   “Among many senior roles during his seven years in the House of Commons, Michael served as Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Before being elected to Parliament in 2010, Michael spent most of the last 10 years as Special Representative Adviser to various  departments of Whitehall, including a stint at 10 Downing Street as Chief Spokesman for then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

   “Since leaving Parliament in 2017, Michael has been chief executive of industry bodies and was also a member of the previous government’s Creative Industries Council.  He is now a business leader, president and senior advisor to a number of large and global publicly traded companies.  has been a patron and trustee of several charitable institutions and organizations, and is currently a member of the advisory board for the Tourism Association.

   The club added that Cartledge had resigned from the board “to focus his time on running the family business”.    He stepped down as chairman in October after just over 12 months in the post, but remained on the club’s board.