Gloucester chief executive officer Stephen Vaughan has announced he is leaving the club after a successful six year period that has seen the club transformed on and off the pitch.

He will be leaving the club in the summer and Vaughan said: “Six years is a long stint when it comes to being a CEO of an Elite sports club in this day and age.

“With what we have achieved at the club and the position it is now in, the timing felt right to pursue a new challenge.

“Leading Gloucester Rugby has been a huge honour and I will greatly miss the staff, players and management, as well of course the supporters, many of whom I have become very close to.

“It feels very much like mission accomplished from my perspective. I have delivered against the objectives I set out to, and I leave the club in arguably the healthiest position it has ever been in and it is a legacy that I am very proud of.

“The culture at the club is in a really good place and the restructure of the playing department in 2014 has started to deliver the benefits it was designed to, which are apparent in both our final league position and early qualification for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup.

“Club memberships are at an all-time high and last year we succeeded in rolling out an award winning rebrand of the club.”

Martin St. Quinton, owner and chairman of Gloucester Rugby, said: “I am very grateful to Stephen for his contribution to the club. On the field the progress that the club has made has been obvious for all to see.

“As CEO, Stephen’s input has been vast, including implementing a structure that has seen us improve our fortunes on and off the pitch.

“Commercially, he has overseen the rollout of a strategy that has seen impressive revenue growth, an array of fan experience improvements and a strong set of values put in place for all staff across the organisation.

“Of course, Stephen will be missed, and I would like on behalf of everyone at the club to wish Stephen all the very best for his future. The process will now begin to find a successor that can continue to take the club forward.”