The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Normalization Committee (NC) has officially appointed Richard Groden and Diedre Davis to the posts of General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary, respectively.
Groden replaces Mabiola Howard who held the post during the latter stages of the Christopher Matthias administration prior to her contract’s non-renewal by the FIFA-appointed committee. Meanwhile, Davis will assume the position previously held by George Rutherford, whose services were terminated by the previous leadership in 2013.
“The NC reached out to CONCACAF to assist in the identification of a General Secretary for the NC’s tenure. CONCACAF recommended Mr. Groden and he will serve as General Secretary of the Federation during the tenure of the NC and will demit office on the completion of the NC’s mandate,” a press release from the GFF Normalization Committee said. “Ms. Davis will serve as Assistant General Secretary of the Federation and will work directly with Mr. Groden in the coming months and will assume the functions of General Secretary on Mr. Groden’s departure.”
Groden is a Trinidad and Tobago national and former General Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation; a position he held for 15 years. He also has extensive experience in “the inner workings” of the international football network, having served on many FIFA and CONCACAF committees throughout his career. “He also served as CEO of the Organizing Committees of five Trinidad national teams’ appearances at various World Cup categories, including the Soca Warriors in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the Girls Under-17 finals in 2010 in Trinidad,” the Committee said.
Davis holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business and a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in International Relations from the University of Guyana. She has nine years professional experience working with the Roraima Group of Companies; her most recent post there was Human Resources Manager.
“We have no doubt that with their exceptional qualifications and experiences they will contribute to the success of the Federation and to the growth and development of football in Guyana,” the press statement said. Groden will start his duties on March 2 and Davis will start on February 24.
