American Lee Hoos has been appointed QPR chief executive in place of Phil Beard who departed in March.

The 53 year-old from Baltimore makes the switch from Burnley, where he held the CEO position since December 2011.

Before that, he oversaw the fortunes at Leicester City and Southampton when they were in financial doldrums, but cut his football teeth at Fulham under Mohamed Al Fayed starting in 1998, after swapping Harrods for the Cottage.

Hoos sale: Chris Baird remonstrates with QPR's Sandro last season

Hoos was responsible for among other things, the £3 milion sale of Chris Baird to Fulham from Southampton in 2007.

In a previous interview at Burnley, he gave a taste of what is to come at Loftus Road.

“Player pay-roll is the single biggest expense that we have by a long, long shot,” he said.

“Part of my job coming in here was to rationalise the pay bill. It’s simply trying to get the most bang for your buck.

"Market conditions have been somewhat helpful because there’s quite a few players, with the transition and financial fair play and that helps me in some ways with negotiations.”

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QPR chairman Tony Fernandes believes Hoos’ arrival completes the new-look senior management set-up at the club.

He said: “Lee was the stand-out individual from a very impressive list of candidates we spoke to during an extensive interview process, so I’m delighted he’s accepted the role of CEO."

Hoos added: “I'm fully aware of the transitional phase this club is going through following its relegation to the Championship, but I am encouraged about the vision of the owners.

“I’d like to think I’ve proved myself over the years I've been in the game. I’ve worked at four clubs now and gained lots of experience.”