Duo replace Kilby at Burnley helm (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Duo replace Kilby at Burnley helm

10:00am Saturday 26th May 2012 in Football By Suzanne Geldard , Burnley FC reporter

UPDATED: BURNLEY have confirmed that both Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz will take over as chairmen of the football club, following the end of Barry Kilby’s 13-and-a-half-year reign.

The duo were voted in to succeed the 63-year-old on Friday, forming only the fifth stewardship of the last 57 years at Turf Moor.

And Garlick hopes two heads can be more powerful than one as they bid to bring the good times back to Turf Moor.

"On this occasion, I believe that one plus one equals three,” said the 49-year-old, who first joined the board in 2006.

"There is a greater synergy through two people combining their resources in terms of brainpower, knowledge and financial support. We aim to make the club stronger and give us a better chance of success in the future.

"Ultimately, we want to win trophies and drive the club forward."

And Garlick hopes to find ways to encourage supporter interaction.

"We also want to carry on the spirit of openness with the supporters that was embraced by Barry Kilby, and keep the lines of communication open,” he continued.

"In terms of the team, we believe we have an excellent manager in Eddie Howe to take us forward, so we hope this will be an exciting time for Burnley Football Club."

Banaszkiewicz, the board's newest member, echoed that sentiment.

"We are one of the league's oldest clubs and I believe together we can strike a balance between supporting our local community and building Burnley FC as a global brand,” said the Nelson-born business, who is also 49.

"I am honoured to have been elected as co-chairman of Burnley Football Club. I am committed to working with Mike to continue the progress the board has made and bring success to the club in future.”

The pair will head the five-strong board that will remain otherwise unchanged, with Brendan Flood and Clive Holt retaining their shareholding, along with Kilby, who stepped down as chairman on Friday to focus on his health battle, after being diagnosed with cancer in November last year.

Burnley-born Garlick, who has been on the board for almost six years, is the managing director of successful IT consultancy firm MBA Ltd, which is based in London.

The company employs more than 800 staff in eight offices in six countries across Europe, and has an annual turnover of around £65 million.

Banaszkiewicz, who joined the board in November 2010, has been managing director of Freight Investor Services Ltd (FIS) since 2002. FIS is one of the leading brokerages of freight and commodity derivatives markets, with branches and trading associates in the United States, China, Japan and Singapore.

He orchestrated and funded Burnley's pre-season tour to Singapore in 2010.