THERE will be a “clear chain of command” at Worcester Warriors following the departure of Jim O’Toole as chief executive.

That’s the view of chairman Bill Bolsover who has appointed ex-London Broncos chief Gus Mackay in a management shake-up at Sixways.

O’Toole’s role, which he had held since February 2015, will be replaced by a new position of managing director.

Mackay will take on that responsibility from Monday when he will have control of the commercial arm of the Aviva Premiership outfit.

Director of rugby Gary Gold, who recently signed a one-year deal, will remain in charge of the rugby department and report directly to the board.

Bolsover said he and his directors had been planning to make the change for the “last three or four months” in a bid to boost revenue.

“We realised we needed to get the commercial side of the business moving on faster than it was doing,” Bolsover said.

“When Dean (Ryan) left we covered that with Gary coming in and he was able to report directly to me and the board in terms of the rugby side.

“Jim then felt, ‘What is the future for me?’ We discussed that we were thinking of changing the way we operate and Jim was happy to say, ‘I will step down’.

“Jim is really good. If you ask Jim to do something he will do it but at one stage last year he was having to look after the rugby, strength and conditioning and the commercial sides.”

After holding interviews with candidates Mackay was given the nod having had 15 years of experience working in rugby and cricket.

The 49-year-old played cricket for Zimbabwe and remained in the sport as chief executive of Sussex from 2006 until 2008 and managing director of cricket at Surrey from 2008 until 2010.

From 2011 he was chief executive officer at rugby league side London Broncos, who were previously known as Harlequins, before leaving three years ago.

Malvern-based Mackay has since been managing director and founder of Cameo Business Solutions and then European managing director of CricHQ.

“Gus will bring really focused commercial acumen which is what we are going for now,” Bolsover said.

“I want to have a flat structure where we have got the rugby on one side and commercial on the other.

“Sixways is one of the best stadiums in the country as it has got one of the best opportunities for bringing in conferences, meetings and coffee houses.

“We sit on the motorway and want to now build that brand we have here to bring in extra revenue to support the rugby side of the business.

“There will be a clear chain of command but more importantly there will be more focus on how we drive the value of Sixways.”

The move marks the end of O’Toole’s reign at Warriors.

During the former London Irish commercial director’s time at the club Worcester gained promotion from the Championship in 2015 and twice retained their top-flight status.

He also played a key role in overseeing the transformation of the Sixways pitch to an artificial surface last summer.

O’Toole, who will step down at the end of this month, said: “This new structure makes sense for the business and I would like to thank our partners, staff and fans for their support during my tenure as chief executive.”