Sunderland director hails impact after surprise David Bruce departure announcement | OneFootball

Sunderland confirmed Chief Business Officer David Bruce will leave the club this summer. Non-executive director Tom Burwell has been appointed interim CEO ahead of a permanent hire.

Leo Pearlman, a non-executive director since 2023 and co-founder of Fulwell 73, praised Bruce’s impact and said the club is a better place. He added that change is inevitable and necessary.

Pearlman said Bruce chose purpose over profile by leaving Major League Soccer in July 2023 to return to Wearside. He contrasted that move with the glamour surrounding figures such as Messi and Beckham.

He credited Bruce with helping to rebuild the bond between club and city and to better align on-pitch and off-field work. Pearlman thanked him, saying supporters feel the club belongs to its people again.

Bruce’s exit forms part of a wider restructure following Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League. Mike Papadimitriou became Chief Financial Officer in September last year, and a new Chief Revenue Officer is to be appointed after Ashley Peden left as Chief Commercial Officer in January.

Scott McCubbin of Bia Sports Group has been covering that role on an interim basis. Burwell is CEO of Bia Sports Group, which manages the sporting businesses of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori.

Source: Sunderland Echo