The boss of Hampshire Cricket is to stand down from his role as chief executive.

But Rod Bransgrove, 62, will continue in his role as chairman, which he has held for the past 12 years.

David Mann, who has been Group Financial Director since September 2007, will assume the role of CEO from December 1.

Bransgrove said: “This change is a natural development of the management structure of the Group and does not indicate any intent on my part to conclude or reduce my commitment to the success of this project.

"However, after 12 years of fulfilling a dual role, and having now stabilised the business with a significant re-investment package, the time is right for me to focus on my position as Group Chairman, taking responsibility for Board-related matters including strategic planning.” “In David Mann, we have an ideal candidate to take over the operational management of the Group. "He has excelled as Finance Director for the past five years and has been instrumental in the conclusion of the highly-complex re-investment transaction with Eastleigh Borough Council over the past year. "His commitment and attention to detail has impressed all his colleagues on the Board and he enjoys excellent working relationships with all key staff. "Simply put, David Mann provides me with the opportunity to take this important step back with full confidence in his stewardship.” Before joining Rose Bowl plc, Mann held a number of senior financial positions in industry working as a Finance Director, Financial Controller and European Financial Controller including spells working in France and Spain. Prior to this, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. He said: “It is a privilege to be taking over as CEO of this business. We have a team of tremendously talented and committed people here and, working together with Eastleigh Borough Council, the England and Wales Cricket Board and our commercial partners and stakeholders, we look forward to building on Rod Bransgrove’s achievements over the last decade and making The Ageas Bowl one of the finest venues in the country, a legacy for future generations and something the people of Hampshire can be truly proud of.”

Since taking the helm at home of Hampshire Cricket in 2000, Mr Bransgrove has driven the development and improvement of the state-of-the-art cricket venue, now called the Ageas Bowl.

He was largely credited for bringing Test match cricket to the south coast for the first time when England played Sri Lanka last June.

The announcement comes just weeks after the company behind the home of Hampshire cricket reported it had lost more than £3m last year.

Rose Bowl Plc accounts for 2011 show the group posted a substantially bigger loss than 2010, when the business was down by £895,000.

The total net loss for Rose Bowl Plc in 2011 was £3,275,954 – a figure that the company put down to substantial sums put into redeveloping the ground, along with “exceptionally high” staging fees that it had to pay to the England and Wales Cricket Board for hosting games.

Eastleigh Borough Council has agreed to plough £30m of taxpayer funds into a luxury hotel at the cricket ground and hand over £6.5m for the lease of the 167-acre site.