Mark Kelly appointed Chair of Ashton Gate Board Ltd

Ashton Gate Ltd has announced the appointment of Mark Kelly as the new Chair of its board of directors. Kelly takes over from Martin Griffiths and will transition from the day-to-day operational management of the stadium to focus on his Pula Group roles as Director of Global Property Investments and CEO of Ashton Gate’s Sporting Quarter development.

Steve Lansdown CBE, owner of Pula, which includes the Bristol Sport Group of clubs and Ashton Gate, said:

“After more than a decade of running the day-to-day operational management of Ashton Gate Stadium, I’m delighted that Mark will now take on the Chair role. This will enable him to concentrate more fully on overseeing the Pula projects in Africa and Guernsey and furthering Pula’s international property ventures.

“With Ashton Gate’s Sporting Quarter development soon to get underway, Mark’s continued stewardship as CEO of this project will be critical to driving its commercial development and enables him to use his extensive experience and vision to guide the future growth of Ashton Gate and its related ventures.”

The appointment follows a decade of significant contributions to the Bristol Sport Group, during which Kelly has held several key leadership roles including, Chief Operating Officer of Ashton Gate during the stadium development and opening, Managing Director of Ashton Gate and Bristol Sport.

Griffiths has stepped down after more than 12 years of dedicated service to focus on the delivery of Longmoor Village and Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter projects.

Griffiths, who joined the sporting group at its inception in late 2012, was instrumental in the redevelopment of Ashton Gate Stadium, from the early design through to delivery of the two-year £50m redevelopment.

The rebuild began in 2014 and was completed on-time and on-budget in 2016 and led to Ashton Gate becoming the leading multi-use sporting and entertainment hub in the South West of England. Many of his early recruits to the development and delivery teams, including Mark Kelly (then as Chief Operating Officer), are still with the business today.

The SVB LIVE series of events focus on elevating the live experience through Architecture & Design, Commercialisation, Customer Journey, Fan & Premium Experience, Hospitality, Interiors & Fit-Out, Sustainability and Technology. The 2025 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition is being held at Villa Park on October 6th and 7th, with an Opening Night Icebreaker on October 5th & the SVB LIVE Awards on October 7th (venues TBC).

Driving the venue’s diversification by attracting a wider range of events and contributing to the stadium’s financial sustainability, Griffiths has provided stable and considered leadership during key periods of growth and throughout the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic.

In parallel, Griffiths was also Chair of the Bristol Sport Foundation and oversaw its launch and growth into one of Bristol’s leading sports charities, standing down in 2022.

Lansdown said:

“Martin has been instrumental in providing our sporting group and the city with a stadium fit for the top flight.

“His strategic focus and considered leadership were central to the success of the re-build project and he has contributed hugely to the stadium’s sustainable future, seeing it become the leading multi-use sporting and entertainment hub in the South West of England.

“I’m sure all the group will join me in thanking Martin for his contribution, his lasting legacy on Ashton Gate and indeed the broader community.

“We now look forward to the Sporting Quarter and Longmoor projects getting underway later this year.”

With Kelly’s position as Chair, Ross Wormald steps up from Operations Director to Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) and will assume full accountability for the day-to-day operations of Ashton Gate Ltd.

Ross’ extensive experience will ensure the smooth and efficient ongoing management of the stadium.

Mark Kelly was one of 60+ C-suite speakers who shared insights at the 2024 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition. Mr Kelly joined the “Building Blocks: Optimising New Build & Renovations Projects” panel session alongside representatives from Connacht Rugby, Everton Stadium and Principality Stadium Experience/WRU, available to watch online here.

About Ashton Gate Stadium

Ashton Gate Stadium is the largest conference and events venue in the South West of England, providing the ultimate meeting and events experience. A premier conference and events venue, the stadium features a wide range of function rooms for both corporate and private hire. Ashton Gate can provide a unique setting for events, however big or small. Be it a business meeting in one of the 18 executive boxes, a gala dinner for up to 850 people in the spacious multi-functional rooms or an international exhibition for several thousand guests in the 3,500 square foot concourse.

Home of Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Bears, Ashton Gate Stadium has recently undergone a major renovation, and now boasts an impressive 27,000 capacity, and state-of-the-art meeting rooms. Ashton Gate Stadium is truly leading the way in event space in the South West.

Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter Development

Ashton Gate was finally granted planning permission in August 2023 for a Sports & Convention Centre and hotel to be built next door to the stadium. This will see a home for the Bristol Flyers basketball team at BS3 in a multi-purpose 5,000-seater arena.

The development was linked with the planning permission approved for almost 500 much-needed homes at Longmoor, including more than 150 affordable homes, half-a-mile to the south west of the stadium.

Watch the Sports & Convention Centre 3D fly-through online here.

Bristol Flyers CEO Lisa Knights said:

This has been a long-time coming and Flyers cannot wait for it to get started. Since 2018, when these plans were first unveiled, the sport of basketball has grown massively in the UK. With sell-out crowds consistently at our current home of SGS College Arena, having a bigger, purpose-built venue will ensure the financial sustainability of the Flyers and an exciting future for basketball in Bristol and the South West.

Source & imagery, courtesy of: Ashton Gate Ltd

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