Manchester United could have a brand new chief govt as of 1 February when Richard Arnold formally begins his new function, succeeding outgoing govt vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
The appointment has been on the playing cards ever since Woodward confirmed his intention to step down within the wake of final April’s European tremendous league scandal. As a key man within the membership hierarchy already, Arnold was an early frontrunner for the job and the plain option to take over.
Belief and familiarity have been key elements in Woodward’s accession to prime man in 2013, with the Glazer household all the time prone to go for one other inner promotion this time round, slightly than the choice of turning day-to-day management of the membership over to a newcomer.
Arnold already has over 15 years of expertise as a high-ranking govt at United. He first arrived at Outdated Trafford as group business director again in 2007 and, for the reason that 2013 reshuffle that noticed Woodward succeed David Gill, has been serving the membership as group managing director.
In his unique business function, he labored intently with Woodward who was credited for nurturing the membership’s business growth within the late 2000s and early 2010s. Each males have in the end performed key roles in maximising United’s business potential during the last 15 years.
After Woodward switched to the highest job greater than eight years in the past, Arnold continued to supervise that progress and the enterprise aspect of the membership as director of ‘Manchester United plc’.
It was Arnold who’s credited with sealing the membership’s most up-to-date shirt sponsorship take care of American software program agency TeamViewer final 12 months, a contract value an estimated £235m.
His background is remarkably much like that of Woodward. Each attended the College of Bristol on the similar time within the early Nineties, the place it’s thought that Arnold first encountered United’s present head of company improvement and chief negotiator Matt Choose.
Each he and Woodward graduated in 1993, discovered a job at PricewaterhouseCoopers and went on to qualify as chartered accountants in 1996. However regardless of each attending Bristol on the similar time, it’s believed that the 2 didn’t change into acquainted till beginning their finance careers at PwC.
Upon leaving PwC in 1999, Arnold went on to carry senior or advisory roles with tech or telecommunication companies, earlier than making the change to United in 2007.
Underneath his business management, United opened places of work in London, New York and Hong Kong to develop the enterprise and strengthen business attain, whereas offers with adidas and Chevrolet are the 2 largest he has overseen throughout his time on the membership.
Regardless of now being answerable for all points of the membership, enterprise is predicted to stay Arnold’s predominant focus in his new function as chief govt. That ought to imply handing extra management and autonomy on sporting operations over to soccer executives like John Murtough.
United followers will probably be eager for a brand new period and contemporary management off the pitch to sign a return to being aggressive on the pitch, after a number of false dawns in recent times.
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