Neil Russell has been appointed as GM and Commercial Manager of the Manchester Storm.
Russell has an extensive background in sales, marketing and business development.
He has worked in the medical sector for much of his career, but also has experience in live sports broadcasting with Premier Sports.
Russell covered the CHL and EIHL last season and has also been lead commentator on GiantsLive TV.
He said: “This is a majorly exciting move for me and to be involved within ice hockey full time is a dream come true.
“I met with the ownership group last week and I was very impressed with everything that they had to say about their plans and ambitions for the club moving forwards.
“This is a very exciting time to be joining the Storm and all the fans can be assured that there’ll be nobody that will work harder than me in ensuring we make a success of this venture.
“Omar (Pacha) is working 24-7, along with Pete Russell – to ensure we have a competitive team on the ice this coming season and also one that you, the fans connect with.
“I have seen first hand in Belfast the benefits of hiring the right guys are to the success of a franchise, players who ‘get it’ are vitally important.
“I think it’s important that a team is active in the community on a regular basis but also engages with you, the fans.
“I can’t wait to get over to Manchester and get started in the GM role. I’ll be organising a fan event mid-August time and I look forward to meeting all of our fans at that.”
Director of hockey for Silverblades and Planet Ice brands, Pete Russell, said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Neil Russell. Structure is vital to any team or business to create the foundation to build upon.
“The appointment of Neil is key to this structure and moving the whole brand and commercial side forward.
“Neil has a wealth of experience in various roles and is a real team guy.
“He is an upbeat, hard working and a driven individual who has always had an ambition of getting into the day-to-day running of a hockey club.
“He has had many years of experience in Belfast assisting in various roles on a matchnight – and this will be crucial and important to the Storm brand.
“We are building a good team of people here, who all want to succeed as a business and it’s a very exciting period. We want to build a successful business and a strong ice hockey club.”
Storm fans will learn their 2015-16 fixtures on Monday morning with the full list to be revealed at 9am.