A SENIOR member of the team responsible for delivering the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has quit his six-figure salary job – two years before the event is due to take place.
John Donnelly, Glasgow 2014's commercial director and executive committee member, will leave the organising committee in June with two years still to run on his contract, believed to be worth about £120,000 a year.
Sources involved with the Games described his departure as a shock.
However, David Grevemberg, chief executive of the committee, insisted Mr Donnelly had not been sacked or had his contract terminated for failing to meet targets, and said it was amicable.
Mr Grevemberg admitted that he had been keen some "tier one" sponsors, essentially leading commercial brands, would have been confirmed by now, but denied this was due to failings by Mr Donnelly.
He still hopes to make an announcement on a major sponsorship deal before the London Olympics in July.
Glasgow 2014's only main sponsors are legal firm Harper Macleod, global finance specialists Ernst and Young, recruitment firm Search and international IT company Atos.
Mr Grevemberg also said the departure of Mr Donnelly, whose role included developing the 2014 brand, sponsorship, licensing and merchandising and ticketing strategies as well as selling the international broadcasting rights, was being made public to avoid a repetition of the frenzy around former chief executive John Scott's departure almost a year ago.
Mr Scott quit the £180,000-a-year post after making an "error of judgment" by breaching strict rules on potential conflicts of interest set out in the committee's gifts and gratuities policy.
However, it took days for it to emerge he had taken free tax advice worth several thousand pounds from PWC, which had a two-year contract with Glasgow 2014.
The Herald also understands Mr Donnelly was not on any "golden-handcuffs" retention contract and while the 2014 team refused to divulge what the extent of any pay-off deal would be, one source said: "To even describe it as bumper is way off the scale."
Another source said: "Would I say John Donnelly was out of his depth? No, not with any degree of confidence. He's a typical London marketing type, affable and confident and good to have a pint with.
"I know 2014 is ahead of where other Commonwealth Games were at this stage with sponsorship but I don't know if they're ahead of where they want to be.
"His leaving has come as a bit of shock to most who know. That suggests most people thought he was doing a decent job."
Mr Grevemberg added: "John has made a significant contribution to ensuring Glasgow 2014's commercial programme is further ahead than any previous Commonwealth Games in terms of commercial revenues secured at this stage. All the team at wishes John well for the future. We have a strong commercial team in place, transitional arrangements are agreed and we have commenced our search for a new commercial director.
"We look forward over the coming weeks and months to unveiling many more of the world-class commercial partners who will share this history-making journey with us."
Mr Donnelly said: "I wish David and the Glasgow 2014 team every success as they move on the next stage of the journey towards delivering an athlete centred and sports focused Games of which Glasgow and Scotland can be proud."
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