EXCLUSIVE: Gillespie drops out of race to become the new chief executive at Rangers
St Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie has dropped out of the race to become Rangers’ next CEO.
The Ibrox club had their eye on the 46-year-old after previous CEO James Bisgrove moved to the Middle East in June.
Discussions are at an advanced stage and Gillespie is expected to remain in the role until last week.
However, Mail Sport has learned that Gillespie, CEO of Kibble, a children’s charity in Renfrewshire, has lost track.
Rangers chairman John Bennett will now continue the search for a replacement for Bisgrove, who surprised the club by leaving for Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah.
Gillespie, a familiar face in the SPFL boardrooms, father of two and Rangers supporter, had been widely tipped as a possible candidate for the role at Ibrox.
St Mirren vice-chairman Gillespie has been widely tipped as Rangers CEO
Rangers were left stunned when previous CEO James Bisgrove left for the Middle East in June
Rangers chairman John Bennett, left, with Bisgrove before his departure
Gillespie joined St Mirren’s board in March 2020 after Kibble completed its purchase of a 27.5 per cent stake in the Paisley outfit. According to the club’s website, Gillespie brought “a wealth of executive-level experience in leadership and business transformation, with extensive skills in innovation and entrepreneurship”.
Gillespie added to his CV by winning two awards at the annual Institute of Directors (IoD) Scotland Awards. He was also named Regional Director of the Year for Glasgow and the West at the 2021 Institute of Director (IoD) awards.
Rangers’ search for a new managing director was put on the back burner while chairman Bennett dealt with the fallout from delays to the construction of the Copland Road Stand.
Gillespie is also CEO of the children’s charity Kibble in Renfrewshire
Rangers chairman Bennett admitted delays to the construction of Ibrox had affected the search for a CEO
Rangers team expected to return to Ibrox following delays to construction work at Copland Stand
Philippe Clement’s side are expected to leave Hampden and return to Ibrox for their home game against Dundee in the Premier Sports Cup on September 21.
Rangers declined to comment on Tuesday evening on the current status of the search for a CEO.
Bennett recently told the club’s official channels that the distance to the building had influenced the search for a new CEO.
“I wouldn’t say everything was on hold when I got the call in June that we were going to be delayed in getting materials for the booth project,” Bennett said, “but it was kind of like that.
“The first priority was to address that. So everything got delayed a little bit, but that was my other goal, to deliver that, and I hope to have some news on our CEO soon.”