Garry Cook’s departure was so sudden that Birmingham City staff members were only made aware that he would be stepping down briefly before the announcement was made.

Blues chairman Tom Wagner jetted in from the United States to reveal Cook would be stepping aside for ‘personal reasons’ during an address at the club’s training ground. New interim chief executive Jeremy Dale stood alongside Wagner as he delivered the news.

Cook will remain a member of the club’s Advisory Committee – a group chaired by Tom Brady – and will continue to serve as a trustee of the Birmingham City Foundation. Whilst Cook’s record does include Wayne Rooney and ‘no fear’ football, he has gained credit for improving the club’s infrastructure and high-profile appointments such as Nick Smith and Mike Rigg, both of whom he worked with at Manchester City.

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But what about his replacement? Dale, a Blues fan himself, is well known to fans having been the man responsible for brokering Knighthead’s takeover deal in 2023.

It was Dale who showed Wagner and Co around Blues' facilities in a bid to convince them to invest, and he drew up the complex agreement that was detailed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Over the past 18 months he has served in Blues’ leadership team and made it his mission to revamp the Birmingham City Foundation. Dale was the driver behind Blue Nose Day, which raised thousands for 11,500 underprivileged children in Birmingham, and he also played a leading role in creating the Birmingham City Official Supporters' Club.

Life before Blues...

According to his LinkedIn page, Dale is CEO of a company called Punk Rock Business, and has been for the last seven years. He has also published a book called The Punk Rock of Business.

He says the book title – and his business persona - comes from U2 front man Bono. During his time at Motorola, Dale worked with Bono on a campaign to fight Aids in Africa called Product Red. That involved setting up a Motorola store in Chicago in just 12 days to host a filming opportunity in which Kanye West sold a red Motorola phone to Oprah Winfrey and Bono.

He told The Justin Brady Show: “We finished the filming, Bono ran up, hugged me and whispered in my ear ‘Twelve days, twelve days.’ And walked off.” Bono then went on the Oprah Show and described Motorola as the punk rock of business: “With them, it’s no long introductions, it’s three beats and you are in.”

He also spent 21 months as a chief marketing officer with global technology company Likewize, which has offices in the US, UK in Asia, and South America. He was a corporate vice president of Retail Sales & Marketing at Microsoft between 2009-2017, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Motorola, Vice President of Brand Marketing at Orange and has also worked at ITV Digital and Tarmac.

During his time at Nintendo he was involved in the launch of Pokémon in the UK,at Motorola, he helped bring theRAZR to the market. He has also been linked with Xbox One and ITV Digital’s ‘Al and Monkey’ campaign.

He also told the Justin Brady Show: "You have got to have the tenacity not to give up at the first hurdle and the funding to be able to allow the produces the necessary time to succeed because things are rarely perfect on Day One."

Business philosophy

In an interview with Business Leader in 2021 he explained the rationale behind Punk Rock Business.

"This is how I see things; many businesses these days are clogged up by bureaucracy that thwarts innovation, slows down creativity and encourages mediocrity," he said. "I hate mediocrity, I’d much rather have spectacular success or fantastic failure. I believe mediocrity occurs far too often, because too many people in business, particularly in middle management roles are more concerned about protecting their job rather than striving for greatness and being everything they could be."

What next?

Dale is the caretaker while Blues search for a permanent successor to Cook. They won't be short of candidates and will likely want someone with a background of off-field sporting success.

The statement confirming Cook's departure concluded: "The club and its leadership remain laser-focused on driving continued success both on and off the pitch. As part of this commitment, the search for a permanent CEO has commenced and Birmingham City remains steadfast in their dedication to delivering meaningful results that honour the legacy of the club while enriching the experience for our fans and the wider community."