IPSWICH Town today moved into a new era with confirmation that chief executive Derek Bowden is leaving the club.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town today moved into a new era with confirmation that chief executive Derek Bowden is leaving the club.

Ambitious Blues owner Marcus Evans has made his first significant move towards turning the club into a global brand.

Speculation will mount that former British Olympic Association chief executive Simon Clegg will move to Portman Road in the summer and effectively take over running affairs at the Coca-Cola Championship club.

Evans is expected to make other moves at the top end of the current Town infrastructure in the next few weeks with manager Jim Magilton's position one that is currently being reviewed.

The Blues owner said: "I am sure all fans connected to Ipswich Town Football Club will acknowledge the tremendous contribution Derek has made during his time in the post.

“During a very difficult time for the business, he has shown outstanding loyalty and commitment and I, like all supporters and stakeholders in the club, would like to wish him every success with the other opportunities he is leaving to pursue.”

Since taking control of Ipswich Town's reported �43million debts and taking over the running of the club in December 2007, successful businessman and multi millionaire Evans has slowly but surely been assessing how best to run the club.

Chairman David Sheepshanks, who with Bowden's help worked behind the scenes for many months to attract Evans to the club, had his position turned into a non-executive role last summer.

And now Bowden, who has been in charge of the day-today running of the club since then, is being replaced.

The former Saatchi and Saatchi chief executive officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, was on holiday in South Africa when news broke that Evans was thinking of bringing Clegg in to run affairs at Portman Road.

Click here to read Editor Nigel Pickover's ITFC blog on Bowden's departure