Gauthier Ganaye will leave his role as Barnsley chief executive on Friday, the club confirmed tonight.
The 31-year-old Frenchman, who has been at Oakwell for 18 months, will move to French top flight club OGC Nice who are owned by members of the same consortium which bought the Reds just over a year ago.
Paul Conway, the Barnsley co-chairman who is also involved at Nice, will take over as chief executive at Oakwell until a replacement can be found. Ganaye's final day will be the last in the January transfer window.
Conway said: "Gauthier has been an incredible servant to the club and the Barnsley community. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen our club both on and off the pitch. Gauthier will always be part of the Barnsley family and we look forward to seeing him at Oakwell.
“To ensure a seamless transition and continue the club's goal of automatic promotion this season, I will assume Gauthier's responsibilities until we can make a further announcement.”
Ganaye added: "“I will always be grateful to Patrick Cryne (the previous owner) for giving me the opportunity to become chief executive of this great club. I have enjoyed every minute of my time here and I believe that we have built something together that everyone can be proud of.
“It was important for me to make sure this transfer window was completed before leaving, allowing Daniel and his staff to remain at the club with the best possible chance of promotion back to the Championship this season.
“From day one of me moving to Barnsley, everyone in the community welcomed me and my family and we leave after 20 months, feeling part of the community here. I have met many of you in and around the town or at games, my son has been raised here since he was born, and my wife has made friends for life amongst you.
"This isn’t us leaving, we’re just moving and we will remain on the journey with you. I must thank all the coaches and players I have worked with during my time here. The current ones fully deserve the praise they are receiving from you, they are working hard to ensure promotion. A final thank you goes to the office staff, working behind-the-scenes on the day-to-day running of the football club.
"These people will often never be known to you, but they work tirelessly to ensure you can be as close to your football club as possible. Once a Red, Always a Red… À bientôt.”
