Club Board strengthened with five new members
Following last night’s inaugural virtual Board Meeting, the Board of Directors at Berwick Rangers Football Club has been strengthened with the addition of five members, all of whom possess a wide range of skills that can help to take the club forward.
The five members, whose profiles are listed below, have joined initially as Associate Directors, with their status set to be amended to full Directors following a three-month ‘induction’ period.
Speaking about the new additions to the Board, Chairman Brian Porteous said: “We set ourselves the task of recruiting personnel with skills and capabilities that would further strengthen what we already had and to say we were delighted with the candidates who approached us would be an understatement.
“Each of the new Directors possess different skill-sets and, over the next couple of weeks, we will be defining roles and responsibilities for each Board Member to ensure we achieve our new goals in this new decade for the club. I hope you will join me in giving them a warm welcome.”
Andrew Allan
Andrew returns to the Board having previously held a Director position. He retired in December 2019 following a career in various areas of property management, having been professionally qualified in Architecture, Construction Project Management and Facilities Management.
He has a wide range of professional service skills that will be a huge asset to the current Board and will provide invaluable thought leadership in how we continue to develop the Shielfield Park campus. He is also keen to support a development pathway in our region. As Chairman of Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust, Andrew is also keen to provide a strong link and point of direct reference for our supporters.
Outside of work, Andrew is married to his wife Lorna and they have two children, Kirstin and Stuart. Stuart has played for the club’s Development Squad, reserves and has made the first team squad. Andrew is a former Captain and Director of Dunbar Golf Club, while he also held a SFA Level 2 Goalkeeping Coaching Certification and led the GK Academy at Dunbar Colts.
Nathan Thompson
At 28, Nathan is the youngest of our new Associate Directors and also lives the closest, just across the field in Greenwood. After working around the world in technology and strategy, he is currently leading the development of the Mobile channel and App development at financial services provider Aegon.
With a particular passion in all things technology, retail channel development and modernising how we engage with our supporters near and far, he will bring outstanding consulting, operating model and problem-solving skills to the club.
Outside of work, Nathan spends his time at home with his better half Abigail, their newest arrival – ten-week old Luna – and French Bulldog Herbert.
Gary Burns
Gary is a successful entrepreneur based in Coalburn, Lanarkshire, who designed and took to market internationally his CarGo seat product for families travelling overseas.
With over 20 years’ experience in the sport and leisure business, he is well connected, engaging and enthusiastic and will bring an extra dimension with how we take our Berwick Rangers product to market in Scotland, the UK and internationally.
A mad daft Motherwell FC fan, he has been well positioned to see the excellent transformation in their club and what we can do to improve ours. He is married to Clare with two sons; Cavan, who is on a soccer scholarship in the USA, and Logan.
Graeme Gurney
An Inverclyde native who remains within his constituency of birth, Graeme has long held a passion for professional football and more recently the backroom demands of operating a professional club.
Currently a Senior HR Advisor for a global medical device company, he has worked in the public, private and voluntary sectors and a variety of industries, including IT, Financial Services, Social Housing and Aviation. With his HR knowledge, Graeme will be an asset to the club and playing staff as he can offer employment law and career advice.
Outside of work, Graeme can be found at various SPFL games as well as junior football matches. Previously a coach for Gourock YAC, Graeme has a passion for grassroots football. Married to Leanne and the proud father of Taylor, Graeme is keen to involve is daughter in the beautiful game and she recently took her first steps courtesy of Greenock Morton Community Trust.
Jim Cornall
Jim is editor of a global food business publication and has edited a variety of newspapers and magazines in the UK, Canada, and USA. He is also an award-winning writer, author, photographer and designer, having written and taken photos for hundreds of magazines around the world. He also has a background in broadcasting.
Jim was on the Board of Directors at a football team in Canada and was Head of Refereeing for the region, as well as teaching refereeing courses and referee assessment courses. He has also coached football, but refereeing between seven and ten games a week didn’t leave a lot of spare time. He has edited football websites, and designed football programmes and magazines for teams in the UK and Canada.
He has also been on the board of several non-profit organisations, local committees, councils and businesses.
Away from football, Jim is married to Liz and they have an eight-year-old son, Becket. Jim travels a lot for work (when viruses don’t bring the world to a halt!) and has visited football clubs and watched games in more than 20 countries. He is also an avid musician, having been in several touring and recording bands.
