The head coach of Hawthorns meets once a week with Andrew Nestor, who is the CEO of ownership firm Bilkul and has taken on the position of sporting director with Albion.
When Corberan calls his Tampa home, owner and chairman Shilen Patel is never far from the phone. It is very different from his predecessor Guochuan Lai’s imperceptible presence.
Nestor, who was previously stationed in Florida and New York, is reportedly Bilkul’s permanent ground force in the Black Country, where he, Shilen, and Ashish, the owner’s cousin and another member of the Bilkul board, strategize for the club’s short- and long-term goals.
Corberan stated, “My relationship with Ian Pearce has not changed from my first moment here,” in order to illustrate the interplay between himself, the ownership, and the current directors. Ron Gurlay was the CEO and Ian Pearce was the head of recruiting when I got there. Following Ron’s relocation, Ian took over as head of football operations, while Mark Myles became the interim CEO. Nothing about our relationship changed.
“Ian and Mark are still here, and our connection is the same as it was before. I have that interaction with Shilen now that I most likely didn’t have with the (former) owner.
“Andrew, the sporting director, added to the communication amongst all employees here; we typically have a weekly talk together. He didn’t alter any kind of thing. We are having a detailed conversation, and whenever they visit, I always make time to spend with them. I enjoy spending time with the decision-makers, and they
Corberan will give Patel or Nestor a call or video call when they are in the United States. The former has a young family and many additional companies at home that need to be managed. Nestor, who met with Patel during the Covid lockdowns to reaffirm their desire to work in English football, is in charge of all day-to-day activities, not only those related to the first squad, women’s team, and academy.
When it comes to diet and preparation, Nestor even communicates with the chef at the team’s training center in Walsall, having already met women’s head coach Siobhan Hodgetts-Still several times.
“We enjoy devoting time to discussing the project’s vision and assessment of the work our club undertakes,” Corberan added.
“I’ve always had these conversations with Ian; in order to try to establish a clear connection with how we see football and how we want to cover needs, you always need to get in touch with the recruitment department.”
That’s also the case with Andrew. I am having a great time working with him.
wish to hang out with me.
