Marc Astley is the communications & marketing advisor
Exeter City have appointed Marc Astley as the club's communications and marketing advisor for the 2012/13 season.Marc, who is the former editor of the Express & Echo newspaper, boasts a wealth of media and business knowledge and is a keen supporter of the club.
During his 25-year media career, Marc has held several senior positions including deputy editor of the Nottingham Evening Post and assistant editor at the Hull Daily Mail.
He joined the E&E in 2005 and left in December last year, shortly after the newspaper went weekly, to launch his own marketing and media consultancy.
After offering his services to the club in recent months as a volunteer, Marc is looking forward to taking on a more active role at City.
He said he was delighted to be involved with a club that he had adopted as his own, despite hailing from Leicester, and was looking forward to working closely with the team at St James' Park.
Marc added: "Over the past seven months I have gained a greater understanding of how the club functions and have been extremely impressed by what I have seen.
“I am looking forward to liaising closely with vice chairman Julian Tagg and the Supporters Trust, of which I am a member, as well as assisting with the excellent work being performed by City's media and marketing team."
Julian said: "Somebody with Marc’s experience, his already significant understanding of a club that is far from ordinary, and his willingness to commit to addressing and harnessing our communications and marketing challenges is an exciting addition to the team and one more step towards greater, cost-effective professionalism."
Trust Chairman, Andy Cole, said: "I welcome Marc's appointment and look forward to working with him on our communications strategy. Both the club and trust put in an enormous amount of work and have many achievements to be proud of.
“However, we don't always get that message across and with Marc on board, I am confident that we will make significant improvements in this area.”
The club has agreed a reciprocal deal with Marc who will be offered branding opportunities at the ground in return for his time commitment.