Ashley Giles leaves Lancashire to rejoin Warwickshire as sport director
Ashley Giles has left Lancashire to return to former club Warwickshire as sport director.
In his new role, the former Warwickshire and England spinner will oversee all the county's professional teams as well as the academy, high performance and development of excellence programmes.
Giles, who served as director of cricket at Edgbaston between 2007 and 2012, said of his return on the county's website: "The new role at Edgbaston is a great opportunity and I am delighted to return to Warwickshire.
"Whilst I have a lot of history with the Bears and have previously enjoyed success as a player and a coach, this is a brand new challenge and I look forward to meeting up with all the players and the new management team in January."
The 43-year-old played for Warwickshire for 13 years and, as director of cricket, led the county to the County Championship title in 2012.
In November of that year he left to become England's limited overs head coach before taking over as head coach and cricket director at Lancashire two years later.
He won the T20 Blast at Old Trafford and led the county to promotion to Division One of the County Championship in his first year.
Giles added: "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Lancashire and I would like to thank the club's chairman, Michael Cairns, and the board for the opportunity to work as director of cricket at such a great club.
"I am also very grateful for their understanding and for agreeing to release me from my contract so that I can take up this new role with Warwickshire and move back to the Midlands, where my family have remained."
Giles' appointment is part of an overhaul at Edgbaston, with Jim Troughton joining as first-team coach, Darren Franklin as head of women's cricket and Paul Greetham as elite performance manager.
Chief executive Neil Snowball said: "It's a very exciting time for Warwickshire CCC, with Ashley's appointment completing the new structure of our senior management team at Edgbaston.
"Ashley has enjoyed great success as a coach and director of cricket and this new expanded role will allow him to apply his experience and expertise across the organisation and to develop the Warwickshire and Birmingham Bears teams at all levels.
"I would like to express my thanks to Lancashire County Cricket Club for their understanding and for agreeing to release Ashley from his contract to be able to take up this new role at Edgbaston."
Giles' contract at Lancashire had been due to run until 2018, and the county said in a statement: "Over the last 12 months the board and staff at Lancashire County Cricket Club have supported Ashley and his family during a difficult period due to the time Ashley's role has kept him away from his wife and family.
"After lengthy discussions the board has agreed to give further support to Ashley's personal circumstances and has given him permission to discuss a move to his home county in the best interests of his family."
Warwickshire finished sixth in the County Championship Division One table in 2016, one place ahead of Lancashire.