Statement issued on behalf of Mike Burton Group

ANNOUNCEMENT – ANDREW BURTON

It is with immense sadness that the Burton family and the Mike Burton Group announce that Chief Executive Andrew Burton suddenly passed away on Wednesday (4 November) at the age of 46.

Husband, father of three, grandfather and son of company founder and Chairman Mike Burton, Andrew had been Chief Executive of the Mike Burton Group business since 1999 and had just recently proudly led the successful delivery of a number of Rugby World Cup joint venture projects, with the business now in its strongest ever position.

During his 16 years as Chief Executive, Andrew's unrivalled passion, drive and direction has established the Mike Burton Group as one of the leading commercial ticketing specialists in sport, delivering official hospitality and travel programmes at some of the highest profile sporting events around the world.

After taking over the leadership of the business from his father, his vision and ambition has seen the creation and successful delivery of a number of high profile joint venture companies with the RFU, the British and Irish Lions, the New Zealand Rugby Union and Sodexo, establishing the business as one of the world's leading companies in the sports travel and hospitality industry.

In addition to England Rugby Travel (the official travel company for the RFU), Lions Rugby Travel (the official travel company for the British and Irish Lions), All Blacks Tours (the official travel company for the New Zealand All Blacks), Andrew successfully led the Rugby Travel and Hospitality business, a joint venture with Sodexo, which only last week successfully delivered the acclaimed global official travel and hospitality programme at Rugby World Cup 2015, and is now planning for the 2019 tournament.

The business is well positioned for the future with a second joint venture – Prestige Hospitality Ltd, which ran the award winning official hospitality programme for the London 2012 Olympics – holding the UK and Ireland hospitality sales rights for the European Football Championships in France in 2016, and the contract for the official hospitality programme for the UCI World Track Cycling in London in 2016.

A regular at Kingsholm, the home of Gloucester Rugby, Andrew had been a fan of the Cherry and Whites since his father, Mike, who played for Gloucester, England and the Lions, ran out on the famous turf. In his younger years, he enjoyed playing rugby for Cheltenham RFC. His commitment to the oval ball, was also matched by his passion for Liverpool FC.

Andrew lived in Cheltenham with his loving family, and is survived by his wife, Fiona, daughter Annie, sons Rhys and George, his brother, Nick, and partner Sam, sister Claire and husband Harry, his father, Mike, and mother Pat, and granddaughter Florrie.

No further comment will be made, and both the family and the business ask for privacy during this immeasurably sad time.