Rangers confim arrival of former West Ham executive to fill key role at Ibrox
Rangers have confirmed the appointment of Karim Virani as their new chief commercial officer, as shared by the official website.
Virani was previously in a similar, senior role at West Ham United where he held the position of chief commercial officer, having served at the Premier League club for five years up to 2020.
He will effectively replace James Bisgrove in the role at Ibrox, who is preparing to take over in full from Stewart Robertson, in his new chief executive officer remit on Edmiston Drive.
It is the latest of key appointments to be announced by Rangers in recent days after Zeb Jacobs was given the head of academy role, whilst Jo Potter was confirmed as the new head coach for Rangers Women’s first team.
The statement from the club set out the achievements of Virani at the Hammers, at the time of the transition from the Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium.
“During his tenure at West Ham, Karim led several successful commercial initiatives to consistently grow commercial revenues, including the record-breaking principal partner renewal of West Ham’s front of shirt sponsor, and the signing of West Ham’s partnership with Scope Markets,” it said.
“This partnership subsequently grew, with the brand becoming West Ham’s sleeve partner in a landmark commercial deal.”
Bottom line
Virani will have big shoes to fill, given that he is taking over from Bisgrove who led the commercial department to record revenues, as noted in the statement
He will need to get used to life at Rangers, including the demands and expectations from the supporters, just as it is likely that there will be more focus on him now compared to what he was used to, previously.
Bisgrove welcomed his arrival, stating that, “Karim has the drive, experience and global network to accelerate the next phase of our growth strategy, and we look forward to welcoming him to Ibrox in August.”
Virani will be working in a very different market in Scotland compared to the Premier League which brings its own unique advantages as well as challenges.
The bottom line is that he will be judged on revenue growth and what he brings to the club, whilst the fiercely passionate and invested supporter base, will make their own judgement on his endeavours.
In other Rangers news, Michael Beale was involved in personal talks with a defender to seal new Ibrox transfer – report.