A confidential international CEO search for one of Saudi football’s fastest-rising clubs, and the first appointment in a partnership now spanning more than 40 roles.
Overview
When Aramco took ownership of Al-Qadsiah FC in June 2023, the club entered a period of rapid sporting, commercial and organisational growth.
Our relationship began with a salary benchmarking assignment for Aramco’s Talent Team. Off the back of that work, Executives in Sport Group was asked to lead the search for the club’s new Chief Executive Officer.
That appointment became the starting point for a much wider partnership — one that now spans more than 40 leadership and specialist roles across the club.
Challenge
The ambition was clear, promotion to the Saudi Pro League within two years, then a place among the leading clubs in Saudi football.
With the new 47,000-capacity Aramco Stadium under development and plans to grow the workforce from around 80 people to more than 180, the CEO appointment was critical. The club needed a leader with strong commercial and operational experience, international credibility and the ability to build the club’s brand, develop new revenue streams and unite stakeholders behind a long-term vision.
Confidentiality added another layer of complexity. Candidates had to sign an NDA before receiving detailed information about the opportunity, which meant every approach had to be made with care, and on the strength of trust already established.
Solution
EISG worked closely with Aramco’s Talent Team, who entered the process with a strong list of potential CEOs already identified. Rather than start again, we used that list as the foundation, assessing every existing candidate against the agreed brief before extending the search internationally.
The wider search targeted proven sports leaders across major international markets. We assessed candidates against commercial and operational expertise, football experience, stakeholder leadership, regional understanding and cultural alignment — with particular attention on adaptable, commercially minded leaders who could balance immediate priorities with Al-Qadsiah’s longer-term ambitions.
Approaches were managed discreetly throughout, with NDAs completed before detailed discussions took place. Those progressing moved through structured assessment and a two-stage interview process, culminating in final interviews with the Chairman and Board of Directors.
It wasn’t about finding someone with a strong CV. It was about identifying a leader who could build trust, unite people around a vision and deliver in a unique cultural environment.
Tom Beswick, Executives in Sport Group
Result
Within three months, Al-Qadsiah secured James Bisgrove as its new Chief Executive Officer. James joined in the summer of 2024 from Rangers, where he had been Chief Executive bringing senior leadership experience from international football alongside the commercial, operational and stakeholder expertise the club’s plans demanded.
The appointment also marked the beginning of something much bigger. The CEO search grew into a partnership spanning more than 40 leadership and specialist roles across Al-Qadsiah’s senior leadership, academy and high-performance functions.
Impact
Al-Qadsiah won promotion to the Saudi Pro League at the first attempt, in May 2024 a year ahead of the club’s own target. James arrived that summer to lead the club into the top flight.
In its first Saudi Pro League season, 2024/25, Al-Qadsiah finished fourth and reached the King’s Cup Final. The following season brought a fourth-place finish again, and with it, qualification for the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time.
Off the pitch, the club opened a new High Performance Training Centre in 2025, while commercial revenues, sponsorship, attendances, digital engagement and community activity have all continued to grow.
Results like these belong to the whole club. But with continued investment in infrastructure, people and the new Aramco Stadium, Al-Qadsiah is building towards its long-term ambitions in Saudi and Asian football, with a leadership team appointed for exactly that journey.