Swansea City have confirmed the appointment of a new 'chief of staff', who has swapped Washington, D.C. for south Wales.
Ken Gude has been hired as the club's chief of staff and head of strategy having spent over 20 years working in politics and policy organisations in the US capital. Get all the latest Swans news sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
In his new role, Gude, who moved to Swansea with his wife and two young children back in August, will focus on organisational structure and management at the club and help to "shape and build a high-performance culture". He will also support chairman and close friend Andy Coleman in delivering his vision for the club, which he outlined ahead of the 2023/24 Championship season.
READ MORE: Swansea City appoint new academy manager to carry out 'ambitious vision' for the future
In a statement announcing his appointment, Swansea said Gude also has "extensive experience in communications and messaging", spending the last decade "building cultures" at existing organisations and helping to get new businesses off the ground. The Swans won't be the first sports team he has dealt with, however, having also worked on the business side of the three-time Super Bowl champions Washington Commanders.
In his first message to the Jack Army, Gude said he and his family had been "welcomed with open arms" after making the move from the USA. He added that he hoped to "galvanise the club" by utilising the fans' passion as he targeted a return to the top flight.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be a part of this tremendous club and wonderful community,” said Gude as his appointment was confirmed. “We have been welcomed with open arms by the people of Swansea in a way that we will never forget. It is no small endeavour to move a family to a new country, and the warmth and support we have received from this community has made our transition so much easier.
“The pride and the passion that the staff have for Swansea City is inspiring and was evident from my first moment in the building," he added. "The Swansea identity is so strong in this club and so vital for its success. We will draw on that advantage to galvanise the club and the community to help make progress on our shared goals of achieving promotion to the Premier League.”
Meanwhile, Coleman added: “I am incredibly grateful to have Ken and his family here full-time in Swansea. His move has proven his commitment and the organisation is stronger today because of him being here.
“Ken is widely regarded globally as one of the brightest minds working to achieve elite level performance inside of organisations. I have been lucky enough to work with him for almost 30 years now and he shares my vision for all that we can collectively achieve at this great club. I cannot wait to see the positive impact Ken has here.”
