Barnsley's new 29-year-old French chief executive believes he can bring a network of overseas football knowledge and contacts to the club but is also keen to embrace the town's traditions.

Gauthier Ganaye was announced this week as the Reds' CEO, joining from French second division club RC Lens.He is due to begin his Oakwell role on June 12.

In an exclusive interview with the Chronicle, he said: "It will be a great adventure for me at Barnsley. At the end of February I heard they were looking for a CEO then I got in touch with a recruitment agent at the end of March. The process went very quickly and smoothly.

"I was looking for a new challenge in my professional life. Being a CEO is a big challenge and being a CEO in England is an even bigger challenge. But I am very excited about it. I have already met Patrick Cryne (owner), Maurice Watkins (chairman), Barry Taylor (director) and Paul Heckingbottom (head coach) and they are all really dedicated to the club which is great.

"It is quite similar to where I am from, an old mining area. That culture runs very deep at Lens and I understand it is the same for Barnsley. I am in the process of organising a flat in Barnsley. I think it is very important for me to be in the town and to get a feel for Barnsley and the people and they way they think. I also need to be close to the office because I will be very, very busy."

Gauthier – who speaks perfect English – already has some idea of the passion of the Barnsley fans as he sat with them in their derby game against Leeds United at Elland Road on October 1 last year. He was visiting a Yorkshire-based friend and they got tickets in the away end, months before he began the process of joining the club.

He said: "I can't believe it but the one Championship game I went to last season was Leeds against Barnsley. It was a great atmosphere and I got a taste of the fans' passion."

Ganaye's wife is from Scotland so he has spent plenty of time in the UK, while living in both London and Leeds for short periods in the past. He is from Saint-Omer in the north of France, about 20 miles from Calais, and a 45-minute drive from Lens.

He is a lawyer, specialising in financial and corporation law while he also has business qualifications and expertise in management and marketing. After completing his education, he joined Lens as an intern then created the legal department at the club before becoming general secretary.

He has most recently been their director of marketing and international development as well as a member of their executive committee. He negotiated player contracts and transfers while also managing the football administration of the successful academy.He believes one of the main assets he will bring to Oakwell is his extensive experience of international transfers, and says Barnsley could recruit from abroad.

"As I have said to Patrick and Maurice, I will bring to Barnsley an international network of contacts and knowledge.A club like Barnsley does not have large financial means and, when we are trying to sign players in England, we are competing against as many as 40 other football clubs. I think I can bring other options to make us more competitive.

"I am not saying that there will be ten French players at Oakwell next season, but it is possible that we might make some overseas signings as well as transfers from the English leagues. I need to get my feet under the table first and discuss it with Paul and the board.

"The other thing I believe I can bring to the club is an improvement in the marketing and commercial areas. We have had great results with that in Lens and, from what I have seen at Barnsley, it is an area that can be improved. I want to create a global strategy for the commercial, marketing and communication departments."

Gauthier says he will have no difficulty getting used to the rules and culture of English football. He said: "I have experience of working with English football clubs on transfers. You get used to regulations changing all the time and dealing with the different countries.I don't see it being a problem."

He is also not concerned about being among the youngest CEOs in football. He said: "I don't think my age is important. I have a lot of experience already. I don't know how old the other CEOs in the league are but I might be the youngest. It doesn't matter to me."

Gauthier will work closely with Barnsley head coach Heckingbottom, who has said he will need at least ten new players for next season. The Frenchman said: "I have met Paul once. We had a two-hour discussion over coffee. It was a good meeting."He is from the area and very dedicated and passionate. He believes the most important thing is the mentally of a player, and that is an opinion I share. We have a lot of work to do to make sure the club has the squad it wants for next season.

"Before I begin my role on June 12 I will be kept informed of what is going on at the club so that, from the first minute I arrive, I will be able to start work and not have much catching up to do."

When Ganaye arrives at Oakwell, it will end a five-month spell in which the Reds have been operating without a chief executive following the exit of Linton Brown on January 13.

Chairman Maurice Watkins told the Chronicle: "It has been a long process but these things always take time and we needed to make sure we found the right person. It was not necessarily our intention to recruit someone from overseas but it was a wide-ranging recruitment process and Gauthier came out on top in that process.

"He is young, knowledgable and enthusiastic and already has an appreciation of what Barnsley FC and the fans are all about. The owner, board and I are all very much looking forward to working with Gauthier."