Rangers have appointed James Taylor as the club’s chief finance officer.

Taylor, son of the late Scottish FA chief executive David Taylor, replaces Kenny Barclay who left in the summer and will take up his post at the start of September.

He joins the club from UK hospitality solutions provider Zonal, where he was chief financial officer, having previously held CFO or finance director roles at Mastercard and Yoyo.

“I am honoured to be joining the new executive team at Rangers Football Club as chief finance officer, and I am looking forward to supporting the delivery of the strategic vision that James Bisgrove and the board have for our club,” he said.

“Being from Glasgow, I am acutely aware of just how much this club means to our supporters and our incredible heritage of success. I truly believe that we are firmly on an upward trajectory, and with the successful execution of our strategic vision, we have the potential to become one of the leading clubs in European football.”

Qualifying as a CA in 2009, Taylor moved to London to join Barclays Capital and operated in several executive-facing strategic finance roles in both London and Singapore.

Following five years at Barclays he joined Vocalink, to head up the finance function at Pay by Bank app, a bank-led payments initiative. During this time Taylor was instrumental in supporting successful commercial partnerships with HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group.

The success of these partnerships supported a strategic exit for Vocalink into Mastercard for £700m, where he became a finance director prior to joining Yoyo Wallet, a payments, loyalty and data start-up in 2018.

At Yoyo, Taylor established the finance operation and was central in supporting the commercial growth of the organisation through partnerships with the likes of Mastercard, Dubai Holding, Britvic, Heineken and Global ID, leading Yoyo to be recognised as one of the fastest growing start-ups in Europe.

He was also responsible for delivering several funding rounds, and, ultimately, a successful exit in 2020. Following the exit, Taylor made the decision to move back to Scotland and join Zonal as their chief financial officer.

Rangers chief executive James Bisgrove said: “James will be an integral member of our executive management team, where he will lead the finance operations and will have an integral role in driving our club strategy moving forward.

“It is crucial that Rangers continues to grow revenues, control costs, and remain profitable as part of our commitment to the board and our investors to operate the football club in a financially sustainable manner.

“The financial performance of Rangers will directly correlate to on-pitch performance, and I’m confident James’s vast experience and track record will play an integral role in achieving the success this club’s supporters demand.”